Cuz baby, authors can't write tragedies like these
by gleefullyvictorious
Summary: Caterina Hannah Valentine and Jadelyn August West are more similar than people know. Both carry dark secrets they've only told each other. Both have boyfriends they'd do anything for. They're best friends-and they're both pregnant. Oh, baby.
1. Chapter 1

**I feel I should preface this by saying that when I wrote this, I was pretty emotional because I was watching a lot of sad movies, and I was writing a sad chapter of my other story, ****After The Storm****, and…well, I digress. **

**This deals with a lot of heavy stuff, but it will also have light, funny moments. I promise. I'll only continue it if people want me to, so just let me know if I should bury this somewhere dark and never let it see the light of day again. Just let me know. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious, so Dan Schneider, if you ever see this, don't sue. Please. **

**Okay, here we go…**

She ran as fast as she could, her Keds hitting the pavement. Her red hair flew out behind her as she ran. She was clutching something tightly in her hand. "Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble..." she panted over and over as she ran. She was going to the only one she could trust-with anything. With all of her deepest secrets, and especially with this.

She would understand.

She finally got to the door and pounded on it as hard as she could. "JADE! JADE!" she yelled, tears blurring her vision. She heard running feet, and Jade quickly opened the door. "Cat," she said with an air of surprise. Cat fell into Jade's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "What is it, 'Rina?" Jade asked. "What's wrong? Is it your dad?" Cat sobbed harder. "Jadey, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't listen-"

"What do you mean?" Jade asked, grabbing Cat by the shoulders. She looked her friend in the eye. "'Rina, what's wrong? What is it?" she asked. Cat held up what was in her hand. Four pregnancy tests.

"I'm pregnant," she sobbed.

Jade sighed and pulled her friend into a hug, remembering the day two months ago they'd had that conversation.

_"Jadey, my dad hasn't touched me in two days!" Cat announced proudly as she walked into Jade's house. Jade smiled softly and led her friend into her house. "Cat, you need to tell someone that he's doing these things to you. Whatever he says, it's not love, what he's doing to you," Jade said. Cat hugged herself worriedly. "No, I can't. He would be angry," she said. _

_Jade sighed. Cat's father had been sexually abusing her for years. Jade hadn't found out until a month ago. She hadn't been able to understand why someone would want to hurt sweet, innocent Cat. _

_She shook it off and led her friend into the kitchen. "Yay! Jadey, are we making cupcakes now? I want mine to be purple! No...pink! Pink is my favorite color! One time, my brother and I went to a carnival, and he wanted candy, but he made the cotton candy man angry, so the man threw the machine at him and now we're not allowed at that carnival anymore," Cat rambled. _

_Jade grinned. "Yeah, Cat, cupcakes. And you can make yours whatever color you want. I bought all of them," she said, gesturing to a counter full of colorful baking supplies, including lots of sprinkles. _

_Cat squealed and hugged her best friend tightly. "Oh, Jadey! It's perfect!" she squealed, jumping up and down. Jade rolled her eyes, but she smiled as well. "Don't tell ANYONE that I made cupcakes with you," she warned. Cat giggled and mimed zipping her mouth closed. "You're an idiot sometimes, you know that?" Jade said with another eyeroll. "But you loovve it!" Cat teased. Jade growled playfully and grabbed a bowl. They began making cupcakes and having a great time, chatting cheerfully and dancing to their favorite songs. _

_When they took out the vinegar, Jade pushed it towards Cat. "You have to do this. I can't," she said. Cat looked confused. "Why not?" she asked. "The smell will make me throw up," Jade explained. She backed away from it a bit. "Why will it do that?" Cat asked. Jade sighed. "I just have a sensitive nose," she lied. Cat looked even more confused. "No you don't," she said. "Remember you won that radio contest they had to see who had the strongest nose?" Jade groaned._

_For being innocent, Cat could see right through her. She sighed and put a hand to her head. She could do this. _

_"I missed a period," she mumbled. "So? Just write it in! I bet no one will notice it wasn't there," Cat chirped. Jade rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant, Cat," she snapped, turning to face her friend. The redhead gasped in shock. _

_"Like...BABY pregnant?" she asked. Jade nodded. She felt tears come to her eyes. "Ooohhh," Cat said in understanding. Jade sighed, wondering what was going through Cat's head at the moment. _

_She got her answer when Cat jumped up and down, squealed, and gave her a huge hug. "Oh, Jadey! CONGRATULATIONS!" she screamed. Jade didn't understand what was wrong with her friend sometimes. Cat pulled away with a beam. "Oh, we have to pick names! And plan a shower! And tell Beck he's gonna be a daddy and-"_

_"Woah, Cat!" Jade said, interrupting Cat. She stopped bouncing. "Whatie?" she asked. "This isn't a good thing," Jade said. Cat looked confused. "Why not? You're gonna have a baby, right?" Cat said with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, but it's not a good thing," Jade said. "I'm young, and Beck and I aren't supposed to be having a baby so young when we're not married." _

_"But babies are so cute! I want a baby someday," Cat said with a little pout. Jade wiped her eyes and put her hands on Cat's shoulder. "Cat," she said seriously. "You can NOT get pregnant until you're married, okay? I know you've been dating Danny, but don't go all the way, for God's sake." Cat nodded slowly. "But can I pick the baby's name?" she asked with a smile. _

_"I don't know that I'm going to keep it," Jade said, going back to stirring the cupcake batter. "You mean, give it up?" Cat asked with wide eyes. Jade shrugged. "I was actually thinking about abortion," she said, furiously stirring the batter. Cat gasped. "Jadey, why?" she asked. _

_Jade stirred the batter harder. "I can't carry a baby, Cat! Everyone will stare at me, people will judge me, don't get me started on my parents...abortion is the best option," she growled. _

_She could feel Cat's large brown eyes staring her down. She looked down, into the bowl of chocolate goo. She began crazily stirring again, beating out her frustrations. "It's the best option," she repeated, as if to give it more conviction. _

_Suddenly she felt Cat gently pull the bowl and spoon out of her hands. "But you don't want to do that, do you?" Cat asked softly, turning the spoon in gentler spirals. Jade sighed. "Y-yes," she said. Cat smiled. "Jadey," she said as she began to scoop the batter into the cupcake pan. "You know you can't lie to me. You never could. You want your baby, don't you?"_

_Jade's mouth opened, but no reply came out. A tear slid down her face. She wiped it away angrily. "I can take care of myself," she growled. Cat set down the bowl and took one of Jade's hands in her own. "Jadey, you've always been there for me. I can be there for you," the little redhead said. "You can be honest with me. Don't hold back. I promise, I can take it. And I want to help," she said earnestly. Jade looked up, and her eyes met Cat's. _

_Then all of the fight went out of her. She hugged Cat tightly and started sobbing. Cat rubbed her back. "It'll be okay, Jadey," she said soothingly. "I'll help! I'm good with kids. And Beck's gonna be a good daddy. And you can count on me." Jade smiled and wiped her tears away. _

_"Thanks, Cat," she said. "I'm glad you're my friend." _

_Cat giggled. "Let's put the cupcakes in the oven!" she squealed. Jade laughed and helped Cat slide the chocolate mix into the oven. As Jade got out the decorating supplies, she felt Cat's hand on her own._

_"And don't worry, Jadey. I won't get pregnant." _

That had been two months ago. Jade was three months along, she still hadn't told anyone but Cat, and now here Cat was telling her that she was pregnant.

It was like something out of a bad Sarah Dessen book.

Not that Jade had ever read Sarah Dessen.

Jade led Cat gently over to her couch and sat her down. "Sshh, Cat, it will be okay," she said, stroking her vibrant red hair. Cat sobbed into Jade's stomach for several more minutes before composing herself. Jade sighed. "Are you okay?" she asked. Cat shook her head rapidly. "It'll be okay," Jade said soothingly. "Danny's a good guy. He'll stick by you." Cat let out another sob. "That's not the problem," she said, her eyes filling with tears again.

"I don't know who the father is."

Jade was confused. "What do you mean, Cat? Who else could it..." Cat looked down ashamedly. Jade gasped.

"Oh my _God_, Cat. Your father?"

Cat burst into tears again and fell into Jade's arms. Jade could only say one thing.

"Crap."

Cat kept crying uncontrollably. Jade rubbed her back. "Cat, you need to tell me exactly what your dad does to you. I promise, we can end this nightmare," she said. Cat shook her head and sat up. "I can't tell you, or he'll hurt me," she whimpered. Jade sighed. "Oh, Cat," she said softly. "Please, tell me."

Cat sighed. "What will I tell Danny?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "He doesn't...know. What if he thinks I cheated on him?"

She began to cry again. Jade held her. "Cat, you know, you don't have to go through this," she said. "You can have an abortion, and the whole thing will go away."

Cat gasped. "No!" she squeaked. "This could be Danny's baby, too! I can't take his baby away from him," she said. Jade rubbed Cat's back. "Please, 'Rina, just tell me about your dad. I promise it'll all get better," she begged. Cat looked at her best friend, her big brown eyes shining with tears. "You promise?"

Jade nodded. "I promise," she said. Cat took a shaky breath. "Okay," she said. "He-"

Suddenly her phone rang. Cat squeaked in fear and picked up. "Hello?" she asked fearfully. Jade could hear her father scream at Cat through the phone. Cat flinched. "No, daddy. I'm at Jade's."

More screaming. Jade took Cat's hand. "No, daddy. Jade is my friend," Cat said with tears in her eyes. "Yes, daddy. I-I'm coming home. I'm sorry to keep you waiting...I-I...love you too, daddy." She hung up and Jade clutched her hand tighter. "Cat-" she started.

Cat began searching around frantically for her things. "Jade, I-I have to go, I have to go, go, go, go..." she said, stuffing the pregnancy tests in her purse. She stood quickly and began to run out the door. "Cat, wait!" Jade called after her. "YOU NEED PRE-NATEL VITAMINS!" Cat threw a quick "Kay-Kay!" over her shoulder as the door slammed behind her.

Jade sighed and touched her flat stomach. She prayed that Cat would be okay. Jade knew that she'd rather have Danny be a young teenage father than the much more frightening alternative.

She rubbed her stomach once more, than picked up the phone. "Beck?" she asked in a shaky voice. "Can I see you tonight? I just...need you with me," she said.

••••••

Cat's father growled as she walked timidly in the door. "You've kept me waiting," he said angrily. Cat squeaked in fear. "I'm sorry, daddy," she said softly.

He hopped off of his kitchen stool and stormed up to her. "Why were you late?" he roared, hitting her in the face. Cat cried out and fell to the floor, holding her cheek. "I told you, daddy, I was with my friend Jade-"

"That bitch," her father spat. Tears sprang to Cat's eyes.

"I'm so sorry, daddy," she whimpered. Her father pulled her up, put his hand on her butt, and drew her close to him. She shut her eyes tightly. "I'm sorry I had to do that," he whispered in her ear. "I love you, baby."

Cat turned her head away, her eyes still closed tightly. Her father's grip tightened, and Cat shuddered as she felt his lips ghost over her neck.

"What do you say?" he purred. Cat swallowed nervously and prayed for a way out.

"I...love you too...daddy."

•••••

Jade sat in Beck's lap, their hands and legs intertwined. "I'm worried about Cat," she murmured. Beck pressed his lips to her neck tenderly. "Why?" he asked casually. "She's seemed great ever since she started dating that Danny kid."

"Trust me, she's got major issues," Jade said, biting her lip. Beck looked at her. "Is she okay?" he asked in concern. Jade sighed.

Beck sat up straighter. "Jade, Cat is like a little sister to me. Is someone hurting her? Is it that Danny guy?" he asked. Jade shook her head and took Beck's hand again. "Trust me, there's not really anything we can do about it. Just...keep an eye on her," she murmured.

Beck stared into Jade's eyes, searching for an explanation she couldn't give. He gave up trying to get her to talk and kissed her. "Okay," he said softly. Jade relaxed back into his arms. She wished they could just stay this way, forever, with nothing in the way.

She wished she didn't have to tell him.

•••••

Cat lay in her bed, sobbing like her heart would break. She pulled a blanket over her thin shoulders and lay still, shivering.

Her clothes were strewn across her room in shreds. Cat sniffled and sat up, looking at the blouse that had been ripped open. She whimpered. That had been her favorite t shirt, one her mom had gotten her before she had walked out and taken Frankie with her.

It was one of her only happy memories, and it was ruined.

She shouldn't have made her dad angry.

Cat stood shakily and began to gather her clothes. Suddenly she felt a twinge in her stomach.

She covered her mouth, ran to the restroom, and quickly threw up what little she'd had in her stomach. She gasped and threw up again.

She could already tell the next seven months were going to be hell.

••••

"Is it just me, or does it seem like Jade and Cat have been throwing up a lot lately?" Tori asked the table. Beck nodded. "You're telling me. Jade's been doing Linda Blair impressions in the morning, after school, at night...I'm worried."

"Cat too...and that little thing is never sick," Andre said. "I hope they're okay," Tori said worriedly, furrowing her brow.

As she spoke, the girls in question walked up. Jade had huge sunglasses on to hide her eyes. As they walked up, she playfully hit the huge bow in Cat's hair. Cat squealed as they sat down.

"How are you guys?" Andre asked with a smile. "Sick," Cat said with a tiny groan. Beck kissed Jade's cheek. She sighed in annoyance. "How are you?" he asked. "Fine," she snapped.

Tori leaned away slightly. "So, I have a bad feeling you two are both contagious. I love you, but don't breathe on me."

Jade breathed heavily on her hand, reached over, and ran it through Tori's salad. She picked up a huge fistful, dropped it, and wiped her hand off as if nothing had happened. Cat giggled and Tori gasped in outrage. "Touchy!" she said with a sad sigh, picking at the remains of her salad with her fork.

Jade smiled at Cat's laughter. She'd do anything to brighten Cat's day, if only for a little while.

She knew that Cat deserved to smile.

**I'm sorry if you hated it…please, no flames, even if you think I should go crawl under a rock with my dark thoughts.**

**For my readers jumping over from one of my other stories, I'm coming at you all with another chapter of ****After The Storm**** by Wednesday! If you're a new reader, my other stories are happier! You may enjoy one of those. (:**

**Again, review and tell me what you thought. I know the plot is a bit out there, but that's imagination, I guess. **

**Mwah! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, hello! I was going to bury this, but I got several reviews asking me to continue, so I figured, why not? As long as someone enjoys it, I'll continue!**

**So this chapter does have an S-bomb in it, so I feel I should just share: I do not swear very often in my fics, and in 18 chapters collectively between my three stories, I have only used the f-bomb once. This will be my first s-bomb. I apologize if I offend anyone, it just happened to fit the story, since it is pretty dark.**

**Well, I hope you like it! Things are speeding up **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious. **

One Month Later

"We need to tell people, Jadey."

"Don't make me, 'Rina!"

"Jadey, people are going to find out! Look at what you're wearing!"

Jade looked down at her baggy gray t shirt and sweatpants self-consciously. "What?" she said with a little sigh. "What's wrong with it?" Cat adjusted her sparkly headband with a little shake of her head.

"Jadey, you never dress like this normally. I mean, when was the last time you put your hair in a ponytail like this?" Jade opened her mouth to respond, then closed it when she realized she couldn't answer.

Cat smirked a little. "Exactly. You can't keep hiding it, Jadey." They stopped walking, and Cat lowered her voice. "You're four months along, Jadey. You have a little belly. You can't keep hiding it! Beck deserves to know."

"Like you're so open, you hypocrite," Jade spat angrily. "Danny doesn't know about you being pregnant." Cat sighed and looked down at her skirt. "That's a different situation, and you know it," she mumbled.

The taller girl sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry, 'Rina." Cat rushed forward and hugged Jade tightly. "It's okay, Jade. Now come on, let's get to Sikowitz's class."

Jade nodded and the two girls walked away.

•••••

Beck sent Jade another text, wondering where they were. It wasn't like Jade to be late.

Well, it was, but it wasn't like Cat to be late with her.

"They sure have been spending a lot of time together," Tori commented. "They are best friends," Beck pointed out. "Yeah-freaky and freakier," Rex said with a chuckle. Robbie clapped his hand over the puppet's mouth. Beck rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Sikowitz as he rolled in the window.

He sat up quickly, threw a rubber ball at one of the kids, and cartwheeled onto the stage. "Hello, learners!" he said with a grin. "Are we ready for-"

Suddenly he stopped short. "Wait. We're short two auras in this room," he said, waving his arms around. "Dark and light. Where are Cat and Jade?" he asked.

"Right here," Jade called as she and Cat walked in. Everyone gasped at what they saw.

Jade's hair was pulled back in a ponytail for the first time in two years. She was wearing workout clothes and sneakers. Cat's headband was black sequined, and her blouse and skirt were shades of gray-something unheard of.

"What happened to you guys?" Tori asked in disbelief. "Shut up, Vega!" Jade snapped as she sat next to Beck.

Beck tried to put his arm around her, but she shrugged it off quickly. Beck sighed. Cat flashed Jade a look as the class started.

Halfway through class, her phone buzzed.

**From: 'Rina**

_U need 2 tell him. _

Jade sighed and began typing back.

**To: 'Rina**

_Y? _

**From: 'Rina**

_U know y. That baby is 1/2 him. He needs 2 know. _

**To: 'Rina**

_I could hide it 4 another 6 months or so..._

**From: 'Rina**

_Jadey. _

**To: 'Rina**

_I'm scared. _

**From: 'Rina**

**I know. **

**From: 'Rina**

_I'll tell them if u will. We'll do it 2gether. _

**To: 'Rina**

_But you don't know who ur baby daddy is..._

**From: 'Rina**

_Idc who's DNA it is. My baby will always b Danny's. He'll b more of a father than my dad will ever b. _

**To: 'Rina**

_Wow. Where did my cute little Cat go? Tht wuz very grown up._

**From: 'Rina**

_I luv grown ups! One time, my brother tried 2 b a grown up, so he shaved my dad's beard off and stuck it on his face, but then he got scared so he put it on my face and we both got in trouble and now he doesn't want 2 b a grown up anymore. _

**To: 'Rina**

_Wow...tht's interesting. Do u miss ur brother?_

**From: 'Rina**

_Everyday. I never want my baby 2 b lonely like me..._

**To: 'Rina**

_Ur baby will not b lonely. Tht's the good thing abt having a prego BFF...free playmate. And u will never b alone, cat. U have me. And Danny. And Beck, Tori, Robbie, Andre, Trina...if u want her..._

**From: 'Rina**

_U can have her! Lol_

**To: 'Rina**

_:P_

**From: 'Rina**

_Thank u. _

"Cat! Jade!" Both girls looked up with a start. Sikowitz was staring at them expectantly. "Um...could you repeat the assignment?" Cat asked sheepishly.

Sikowitz raised his eyebrows. "You two are doing a partner alphabet improv. Go!" he said, pointing to the stage. Jade looked at Cat and they walked onstage quickly. "Letter?" Jade asked, rolling her eyes. "Um..class, give them a letter!"

"X!"

"P!"

"A!"

"W! W!"

"Okay, I heard w. Cat, go!" Sikowitz said. Cat turned to Jade with a smile.

"**W**hen are we going to tell them?"

"**X**ylophones are my favorite instrument."

"**Y**ou're trying to change the subject."

"**Z**ebras are fascinating, don't you think?"

"**A**round lunchtime would be good."

"**B**ut why ruin everyone's lunch?"

"**C**an't you see that they deserve to know?"

"**D**on't make me, please."

"**E**ven though it hurts now, it'll get better."

"**F**orget it."

"**G**od, Jade, you need to face this thing."

"**H**opefully not!"

"**I** really think it's better to tell them."

"**J**ust don't let me run away in the opposite direction."

"**K**ay kay!"

"**L**et's talk about you now."

"**M**aybe we shouldn't."

"**N**o, you can't avoid your problems either!"

"**O**h, all right. What?"

"**P**lease tell me about your father-I want to help."

The whole room was silent. Sikowitz had even stopped sipping his coconut. Tori and Beck shared a worried look.

"**Q**uiet, Jade, I'm fine."

"**R**eally? Because that's not what it looks like."

"**S**top," Cat whispered. Her eyes were shut tightly, and tears were spilling out of her eyes. Tori motioned to Beck worriedly. He shrugged.

Jade reached forward and put her arm around her.

"**T**ell me, 'Rina. Things will get better."

"**U**nless they don't," Cat mumbled.

"**V**ery untrue. They will get better," Jade said, hugging Cat tightly. Although the two girls were pressed together, everyone heard Cat's last sentence.

"When?"

Sikowitz stood and applauded loudly. "Brilliant!" he said happily. "Just fantastic! Candy for both of you!" Cat popped up with a huge grin. "Candy!" she cried happily. People laughed and the tension in the room dissolved.

But Beck and Tori knew something was up.

••••••

"When do you think they'll get here?" Tori asked, poking at her burrito listlessly. Beck pushed his salad away.

"I know, I'm nervous too," Robbie said. Andre just sat, hitting the same key on his piano over and over. "If someone's hurting Cat-" Tori broke off.

"They're here."

As they walked up, Cat waved happily. Jade didn't bother sitting down. "Come with us to the black box. We need to tell you guys something," she said dryly. Cat squeaked and began running off to the black box.

Jade rolled her eyes, grabbed Beck's hand, and followed. Tori and Andre looked at each other and followed. Robbie looked rapidly between the disappearing group and his fries. "Oh, I can't leave this food," he said sadly.

"Just bring the food with you, princess!" Rex said. Robbie nodded quickly, gathered up his food container and ran off. "Wait for me!" he called.

•••••

Cat and Jade stood nervously in front of their friends. Beck, Tori, Andre and Robbie sat tensely in chairs.

"So, what's up?" Andre asked.

"This is going to be...a lot to take in. So just bear with us," Jade said. "Don't be mad," Cat begged.

"What's going on?" Beck asked concernedly.

Jade sighed. Cat squeezed her hand. "I'm good," Jade said with a deep breath.

She groaned and lifted her shirt with a flourish. Everyone gasped except for Cat at the small, but clearly noticeable baby bump Jade had.

"You're PREGNANT?" Tori asked. "No! An alien's inhabiting my uterus!" Jade snapped, lowering her shirt. She walked over to Beck with crossed arms. "Obviously, you're the father. I've already decided I'm having the baby, so don't try and change my mind," she said toughly. "I'm keeping it, and I'll do it with or without you. Your choice."

Beck stood quickly and grabbed her arms. "Jade, of course I'm going to be there," he said. "I want to help you. You do whatever you think is right, and I'll support you no matter what." Jade's eyes softened. "Really?" she asked. Beck nodded and kissed her. "We'll be okay," he said, hugging her tightly.

Andre pointed to Cat. "Wait, what does Lil' Red have to do with all of this?" he asked. Cat gave him a small smile.

"Well, because...I'm pregnant."

Several minutes of stunned silence followed Cat's announcement. Tori wad the first one to speak.

"Holy shit."

Beck looked at her in surprise, and Cat clapped her hands over her ears. "Tori!" she squealed. "I thought we all agreed that 'chiz' was an appropriate substitute for that!" Andre said with a frown.

Tori looked embarrassed. "Sorry! It's a lot to take in, and 'chiz' just didn't seem to express…things...right. I mean, this is messed up," she said.

"So, what you're saying is that you and Cat are both pregnant? Both of you?" Beck asked Jade. She rolled her eyes. "Cat, lift up your blouse," she instructed.

"Kay-Kay," Cat said, lifting it up. Everyone reacted when they saw a tiny, barely noticeable swell in Cat's stomach. It was small and easily hid, but it was there. Cat rolled her shirt back down. "Is...who's is it?" Robbie asked.

Jade met Cat's eyes, and the little redhead looked down before answering. "It's Danny's," she said quietly. "Does he know?" Andre asked. Cat shook her head. "You guys are the only ones who know," she said with a little shrug.

Tori got up and hugged Cat tightly. "Oh, my God," she murmured. "Cat, Jade...if you guys need anything, anything at all...tell me, okay? I'll help." Cat nodded and hugged Tori back.

Andre stood. "So basically, we have eight-odd months before our group of six becomes a group of...eight?" he asked.

Cat nodded. "Well, I may give my baby up for adoption..."

Andre rubbed Cat's back. "It's okay, Lil' Red. You've got some time to think about it."

"For now, let's eat!" Jade said. Everyone agreed and went off, Andre putting his arm around Cat. Jade and Beck held hands, and Tori rubbed Jade's arm.

Because after all, there was nothing to bring friends together like a baby.

••••

Cat hummed a tune and danced around her room. Her father wasn't home, her friends weren't mad, and she had a special date with Danny tonight!

She went to her closet and picked out her favorite dress. Tonight was her and Danny's six month anniversary, and she finally felt like she trusted him completely. She felt safe with him. She knew if he told Danny about her father, he would understand. He would help her.

She slid the dress over her head, and was grabbing heels when her phone buzzed. She walked over and checked the message.

**From: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_R u gonna tell him tonight?_

She smiled and began typing a response.

**To: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_Think so. Scared :/ don't want him 2 freak out. _

**From: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_He will help u with ur dad. What does he do 2 u?_

**To: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_U know. _

**From: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_How can I if u never tell me?_

**To: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3 **

_U know. He's been..._

**From: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_Raping you. _

**To: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3 **

_..._

**From: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_How long has he been doing this?_

**To: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_Since mommy took Frankie away. _

**From: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_That's a long time, Kitty._

**To: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_Daddy's just been sad since mommy left. He needs me to do what mommy did so he won't be sad. _

**From: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_That's sick. _

**To: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_He's just sad._

**From: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

_He's a monster. _

Suddenly, the door to Cat's room opened with a crash. Cat's father stood framed in the doorway, a bottle clutched in his hand.

"What's that?" he growled. "I-it's just my phone, daddy," Cat squeaked in fear.

"I'm hungry, damn it!" her father roared. He threw the beer bottle at Cat's head. She screamed and ducked, and the bottle crashed against the back wall of her room. "I'll make you dinner before I go out, daddy," she said quickly. Her father cursed.

He walked over and held out his hand. "The phone," he growled. Cat held it back, away from his grasp. He lost his temper and slapped her across the face, hard. She screamed. "Give me the phone, you slut!" he yelled. Cat held it close to her.

Her father pulled her up and held her by her hair. "Give it!" he roared. He raised his fist, ready to hit her in the stomach.

Cat screamed, fearing for her baby's life, and threw the phone as far away from her as possible. Her father dropped her and went for the phone. Cat huddled up in fear as she read her text messages.

His face darkened as he read her text messages. "Who is 'Jadey-Bear?" he asked. "M-my friend," Cat stammered. Her father sighed and sat down next to her. "Cat, we need to have a talk," he said with a frown. Cat nodded, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Cat, this girl is filling your head with bad thoughts," he said. Cat nodded again, staring straight ahead. "You know that I love you. I always have. When your mommy left, I had things I needed to do, but mommy wasn't around to let me do them. So I needed you to help me do those things. But I didn't rape you. I'm not raping you, Cat. I'm just showing you how much I love you, and you're helping me in return. That's how families are supposed to be."

"But daddy, I don't like it when you touch me...down there," Cat mumbled. "It doesn't feel right. Please stop." Her father grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.

"That just means you're not trying hard enough to please me. Don't you love me?" he asked. Cat nodded. "I want you to understand. This is how daddies are supposed to love their little girls," he said.

Cat nodded again. "Yes, daddy," she whispered. He smiled and kissed her roughly. Cat could hear her phone buzzing in his hand and wished she could tell Jade she was fine, and not to worry about her so much.

She wished.

Her father rolled over on top of her, running his mouth down her body. Silent sobs racked Cat's body as she cried herself into a dreamland, waiting for the moment to come out of her fantasy world.

••••••

Jade texted Cat for the sixth time. Getting no response, she threw her phone against her wall with a scream. It sucked not being able to tell what was going on at Cat's.

She could be eating, or watching a show, or baking cupcakes, or cleaning.

Oh, or her father could be raping her.

Just a typical American family.

Jade groaned and put her pillow over her head. Her mother came in. "Sweetie? You in here?" she asked. "GO AWAY!" Jade screamed from under her pillow. Her mother sat down by her and rubbed her back. "You've been so distant with your father and I lately. What's wrong, honey?" she asked. Jade refused to answer and her mother sighed. "Fine, Jade," she said, moving to the door with Jade's laundry.

"Oh, your Pop-Pop's coming next week," her mother said, standing in the door frame. Jade sat up, pulling the pillow off of her head. "Really?" she asked. Her mother nodded, smiling. "He's staying for a whole month this time," she said. "How is he doing?" Jade asked. Her mother sighed. "Well, the dialysis seems to be working, so thank God for that," she said, walking out.

Jade hugged her pillow to her chest. Few people knew how close she was to her maternal grandfather-her Pop-Pop, as she called him.

Even as a little girl, she'd hated being normal, so she abandoned the traditional "grandpa" for the more fun Papí and Pop-Pop. Her Papí had died when she was seven, along with her Mimi and followed by her Mamí, but her Pop-Pop was still alive and kicking at seventy four.

Jade loved him more than she could express-more than almost anyone she could think of. He always listened to her, no matter what, and he gave the best advice. If there was anyone she could talk to about this whole pregnancy mess, it was her Pop-Pop.

She smiled and went to her desk to write a letter. Her Pop-Pop never could understand the internet. She'd never tell anyone this, but letters suited her just fine too.

_Dear Pop-Pop_, she wrote.

_I heard that you are coming to visit_. _I can't wait_. _I have so much to tell you_.

•••••

Cat scrubbed her skin until it was red and raw. She didn't care what she looked like, she just wanted to feel clean. Like she deserved to go out with Danny.

Certainly not smelling like her father's aftershave.

She gave her skin one more rub, looked herself over in the mirror and sighed happily. Looking over the remains of her dress, she decided to go with a more casual skirt and blouse. As she dressed, she glanced at the phone to make sure she wasn't late. 4:58. Danny would be by in two minutes.

She threw on a knee length skirt, a tank top, and sandals, grabbed her bag, and sprinted downstairs. "You be back by midnight!" her father yelled after her angrily as she shut the door behind her.

The sun was still high in the sky when Cat went outside. She sat on her front step and stared up at the blue sky. She found herself mesmerized by the thin wisps of cloud moving around in the sky.

A car horn honked. Cat looked and saw Danny get out. "Car service for an angel?" he joked with a grin. Cat squealed happily and jumped into his arms.

She was glad to have a piece of perfect.

•••••

Beck paced in his RV. Jade was pregnant. Cat was pregnant.

He was a father.

He sighed and paced. He knew that he was going to stick by Jade, and his child. He wasn't too worried-he had a steady after school job at a car repair shop, and he knew the owner would give him a raise once he knew the situation.

The one he was really worried about was Cat.

Jade was tough, and Beck had no doubts that she'd be able to handle this. Cat, on the other hand, was so naïve, fragile, innocent...

Well, obviously not THAT innocent, since she was pregnant, but still.

Beck balled his hands into fists. If Danny hurt Cat in any way, he'd go kick his ass.

Cat was like a sister to him-he'd known her since second grade. She'd encouraged him to audition for Hollywood Arts. She'd introduced him to Jade. She'd always been there for him.

Now he was gonna be there for her.

•••••

"So how have you been, beautiful?" Danny asked Cat, holding the car door open for her. She got into his cherry red vintage convertible with a little squeal. "Perfect now that you're here," she said with a happy sigh.

Danny hopped into his seat and started the engine. "Top up or down?" he asked.

"Uh...down!" Cat said. Danny grinned and zoomed off.

Cat squealed as the wind whipped through her hair. Danny laughed as she stuck her arms in the air joyfully, zooming past the huge houses in her neighborhood. "Babe, I love you, but we're gonna get pulled over!" he said with a laugh.

She dropped her arms with a gasp. "One time, my brother got pulled over," she said. "Oh, yeah? Why was that?" Danny asked. "He didn't know you're supposed to wear clothes when you're driving," Cat said simply.

Danny laughed and kissed her cheek. "Where are we going?" Cat asked with a squeal. "It's a surprise," Danny said teasingly. Cat grinned. She couldn't wait to get there. Danny was amazing.

He would save her, she just knew it.

••••

Jade picked at her food. Her mother sighed and set down her fork. "Really, Adam, I don't know why we do this. It just upsets her," she murmured.

Mr. West took another gulp of brandy. "Rebecca, it's good for her to see that we can be cordial and together as a family," he whispered back.

Jade set her spoon down with a clatter. "One, I can hear you. Two, I know we're not a family, so there's no sense in BS-ing it. Three, we'd all much rather go our own ways, dad, so why don't you take that blonde stick and that yappy dog and go give her the world, and leave mom and I here to rot!" she snapped, standing up angrily.

Mr. West set his glass down. "Don't you yell at me, Jadelyn! And don't speak that way about your stepmother-"

"She's NOT my stepmother! She's just your little who-"

"Don't you DARE finish that sentence!" her father roared. "Sit. Down."

Jade growled and sat deliberately. On cue, a dog began barking. Jade's stepmother began speaking to him in a baby voice. "Oh, there, there, baby, momma will be there in a minute," she cooed, feeding him a piece of prime rib from her plate.

Jade's mother stiffened. Jade saw her mother's discomfort and turned to her stepmother. "You know dogs bite people's faces off," she said. All three adults turned to look at her. Jade shrugged. "They do. When you sleep," she said.

Her stepmother gasped, and Jade made a biting motion with her teeth. The woman squealed. Jade smiled, considering her mission accomplished.

"Well, I'll get those out of your way," Jade's mother said primly, whisking plates away. "Jadelyn, get the dessert," she called over her shoulder. Jade rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen.

She saw her mother's crowning achievement: a huge cake with a mountain of whipped cream and cherries. Her mother had way too much time on her hands.

Hefting it in one hand and adjusting her tank top with the other, Jade prepared herself to go back into the fray.

Walking back in, she heard her stepmother's voice in the dining room. "I'm not saying she is, I just wouldn't put it past her, Adam, that's all I'm saying."

Jade got curious and decided to hang back. She hid and listened to the adults talk. Her stepmother continued in that annoying voice of hers. "She's promiscuous. We all knew that. And Adam tells me that she's been dating a guy."

"Well, not to be rude, Krystal, but you're not around Jadelyn nearly as much as I am, and I think I would have seen-" her mother said.

"She threw up three times during dinner today. Three. You don't think that's odd? Not to mention how moody she's been lately, especially around me-"

"Oh, there's an explanation for that. Jadelyn doesn't like you," Jade's mother said simply with a sip of brandy. Jade smirked. Even though she didn't particularly like her, Jade was grateful to her mom for being strong when she needed her to be. Especially around her dad.

Krystal huffed and took Mr. West's hand. "Well, she's going to have to get used to the fact that I'm in the picture long term. And she should start respecting me a little bit!"

"Yes, be that as it may, you have no right to come in and accuse my little girl of being-"

"You know she's been having sex."

"No, I do not know that."

"You can deny it all you want, but when she has a baby in her arms next September, don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Well, then I guess you can best me once again...Krystal."

They sat in silence for a few moments, and Jade debated going back in. Then Krystal decided to open her synthetically fat mouth again.

"Just look at her stomach if you don't believe me. It's round."

Jade's mother sat silently for a moment. Then she called into the kitchen. "Jadelyn! Hurry up in there!"

Jade growled and walked back in. She looked at all the adults, then down at what they were all looking at: her tiny baby bump, outlined by her tank top.

She looked up at Krystal, who looked smug. Then to her father, who looked angry. As usual.

Finally, Jade looked at her mother, whose eyes were full of sadness and hurt.

"Jadelyn..." her mother murmured softly, sounding heartbroken. Jade opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find words.

So she did the only thing she could.

She walked over to Krystal, holding the cake, and smashed the cake on Krystal's neck, all over her silicone implants.

Krystal gasped. "Oh, my God!" she shrieked, scraping fruit off of her boobs.

"Why would you-"

"Young lady, this is the last-"

"Jade!"

She ignored them all and ran upstairs to her room, slamming the door behind her. As she threw herself onto her bed, sobbing, she prayed Cat was having a better time than her.

•••••

"Danny, are we almost there?"

"Just a few more steps, Cat. Watch your step."

"Can I take off my blindfold?"

"Cat! I want it to be perfect!"

"Okay! Okay!"

"One more step...and...now."

Cat took off her blindfold and gasped happily. She laughed. "Oh, Danny," she sighed. "It's perfect!" Danny kissed her cheek. "I wanted it to be. For you," he said with a huge grin.

He took her hand and led her to the picnic blanket, set up under a tree by a hill. Cat beamed as she saw all of Los Angeles stretched out beneath them. She turned, saw the Hollywood sign, and squealed happily.

"You like it?" Danny asked excitedly. Cat nodded and kissed him passionately. "Thank you," she said with a grin. They sat and Danny brought out two wine glasses and a bottle. "Sparkling grape juice, Ms. Valentine?" he asked.

Bouncing up and down, Cat nodded. "My favorite!" she chirped. Danny poured them each a glass and handed one to her.

"To six months with the most amazing girl I have ever met," he said. "Cheers!" He lifted his glass, Cat lifted hers, and they clinked glasses under the blue sky.

An hour later, they were eating ice cream sandwiches from the picnic basket as the sky turned pink and orange. Cat sat in between Danny's leg, and he had one arm wrapped around her waist.

She took another bite of her ice cream sandwich contentedly. "I didn't know there were still places like this in the world," she said with a sigh. Danny hugged her tightly. "I'm glad you like it," he murmured. She finished it off and licked her fingers happily. "Perfect," she said. Danny smiled and kissed her.

Cat couldn't believe she was this lucky. She couldn't help but notice that he tasted like ice cream and grape juice, and he kissed her so sweetly. Not at all like her father. Danny was different.

And she loved it.

They lay on their backs and watched the sun sink in the sky. Cat lay her head on Danny's stomach. "I love you so much," she said with a smile. Danny kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Cat."

Cat sat up quickly. Danny sat up too. "What's wrong, Cat?" he asked concernedly. "Cat. Tell me! Is seething wrong?"

She looked down and took a deep breath.

"Danny, there's-there's something I need to tell you."

**Cliffie! So when you picture Krystal, picture a woman who was once a stripper but is now a cocktail waitress and thinks that gives her the right to talk down to people. **

**Another note: the part with Cat and her dad was pretty intense, I know. It sickens me that people think that way…but I digress.**

**Anyways, I just wanted to let those of you who were squirming in your seats know that that is as far as I'm willing to go in terms of detail with the incest storyline. I'll do pre-abuse and after-abuse, but I don't have it in me to describe the actual abuse any deeper than that.**

**I hope you like the premise of Jade's 'Pop-Pop'. I feel he'll make an appearance in a chapter or so. **

**Thank you all for reviewing-it makes my day when you all review. Seriously, my whole day looks up.**

**So you should review! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back! I know it took a long time...one thing you will come to know about me is my sporadic posts. Sorry about that!**

**But, major thanks to sshaw101 for your kind review and inspiring me to get off my butt and post!**

**Also, you all make my world go around. To the story!**

Jade crossed her arms sulkily and stared straight ahead. Next to her, her mother was standing ramrod straight, hands clasped in front of her and lips pursed.

"Pop-Pop doesn't like flying. Why'd you make him take the airplane?" Jade grumbled. Her mother sighed angrily. "Jadelyn August West, do not start with me," she snapped. "You are on very thin ice." Jade snarled and adjusted her favorite bike jacket.

Her mother gave her a stern look. "I wish you wouldn't wear that nasty thing," she said in a pained voice. "You wouldn't let me wear the corset," Jade muttered. "Well there's a reason for that, isn't there?" her mother snapped at her. "You can't wear corsets when you're...expecting."

"Just say it, mom. It's one word. Pregnant. I'm pregnant. Or was the word you were looking for disappointment?" Jade asked angrily. She could feel hot tears coming up, and she pushed them away angrily. Jade West was nothing if not tough. Her mother sighed and turned to face Jade primly.

"Yes, Jadelyn, I'm disappointed that my sixteen year old daughter is pregnant. And yes, I'm angry that you weren't being smart. I'm sad that you will have to go through this, I'm ashamed that people are now looking at you and judging me. I'm humiliated, Jadelyn," her mother said angrily. As she spoke, Jade saw a tear slide out of her mother's eye.

Eventually, her mother wiped it away and continued speaking. "Do you think this is easy for me, Jadelyn? To have to say to people, 'my daughter's expecting at sixteen'? To walk through a public place with you and see people give me hateful looks and say 'that poor girl'? Do you know who they blame in that situation? The mother. It is all my fault. They ask, why didn't I teach you better? Why wasn't I helping you? What kind of mother stands by and lets her child ruin all of her life chances? And no amount of screaming or yelling at me will change that. And to see that smug look on the face of-on her-" Jade's mother broke off, a quiet sob escaping her mouth. Jade wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. Her mother recovered and began staring intently at Jade with those ice blue eyes.

"To see the look on her face? Your father's whore? Little Krystal from the strip club that he's going to save-the woman he left me for. The woman he left you for. Do you know how absolutely humiliating that is, Jadelyn? If she gets the man, she gets the house, she's a better mother to you, can see all the signs I couldn't, what does that make me?" she asked, her voice becoming a whisper. "We were a team, Jadelyn, and you let me down."

"Mom-" Jade started to say, hoping to provide comfort.

"Your Pop-Pop's terminal is this way," her mother replied, turning and walking briskly off. Jade sighed and put a hand to her stomach. She felt the curve gently. "This isn't gonna be easy, little guy," she sighed. Then she walked off towards the sound of her mother's heels.

•••••

"Kitty, I'm home!"

Cat squealed and rushed downstairs happily. She ran up to the man at top speed and jumped on his back. "What are you doing here?" she asked with a grin.

Her cousin smiled and set her down carefully. "Well, I get a call at 12 am from my favorite cousin saying she needs me, and I'm on the next bus to LA," he said with a grin. Cat beamed and hugged him tightly.

They hung onto each other, gently swaying in the kitchen. Finally Cat pulled away. "Oh, my gosh, Will, I should have made something for you! Like cupcakes, when I was younger, that I'd make for my brother when he got back from the institution, but that was years ago. Maybe I forgot-but my doggie will remember! Did you know he has a nose that looks like a baby meatball?"

Will laughed at her ramblings and set his bag down. "Calm down, girl," he said with a laugh. "I'm fine. You don't need to make anything for me." Cat shrugged happily and poured two glasses of lemonade, ignoring her cousin.

She slid it across the counter with a grin. Will sipped it absentmindedly. "So cuz," he began. "What's on your mind?"

Cat sighed and walked around the counter to sit next to him. "There's something I have to tell...someone," she said with a sigh. Suddenly she remembered the night a week ago, under the stars, with Danny, safe in his arms.

_"Danny, there's something I need to tell you," she said softly. Danny took her hand. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of concern. She sighed and looked down at his hands. They clutched hers so tenderly and so lovingly. _

_She didn't want her dirty little secret to destroy all of that. _

_She sighed. "Nothing. I just...really love you," she said with a weak smile. Danny laughed and kissed her. "I love you too," he said happily. They settled back down in each other's arms. Danny laughed._

_"You had me worried for a second."_

Will raised his eyebrows at Cat's expression. "So what's shakin, bacon?" he asked casually. Cat giggled. "Oh my gosh, that was clever!" she laughed. He smiled. "What's on your mind?"

Cat's smile vanished. She began trembling. Will put a hand on her arm. "Are you all right, cuz?" he asked in concern. Cat nodded, still shaking like a leaf. He rubbed her arm. She took a deep breath.

"Mydad'sbeenrapingmeandnowI'mpregnantandIdon'tknowifthebabyismydad'sormyboyfriend's," she spilled out in one breath. Will leaned back at the force of her verbal barrage. Cat sighed and began bouncing up and down on her chair.

"Uh, come again?" he asked.

"My daddy's been...well, Jade says he's 'raping' me, but that's not what daddy says. And now I'm pregnant, and I don't know if the baby is my dad's or my boyfriend's," she said more slowly. Will looked shell-shocked.

"Uncle Tom?Wh-what?" he asked softly. He began looking around, expecting someone to pop out with a camera. No one appeared. He furrowed his brow.

"He-he took me on camping trips. He helped me learn how to drive. How could he-?"

"You don't believe me," Cat said softly. She began to sob uncontrollably, gasping for breath. Will stood and pulled her into a tight hug. "No, no, I do!" he said urgently. "Cat, of course I believe you. I'm just shocked."

"I don't know what to do," Cat sobbed. Will steered her towards their dingy couch, and they sat. Cat lay in Will's arms, sobbing until she ran out of tears. Finally she sat up, drying her puffy eyes.

"Jade told me that my baby could also be my sister or brother. I don't understand. When I prayed for a sister, this isn't what I meant."

Will sighed and clutched her tighter. "I can't believe Uncle Tom would..." he trailed off. His eyes darkened with anger.

"I promise, Cat, if it's the last thing I do, I'll help you," he said, clenching his jaw tightly.

"I'll stop this."

•••

A wizened old man with big, round glasses and a checkered coat walked out of the terminal. Jade's mother smiled and hugged him. "Dad," she said warmly. "Hey, sugar," he replied in a thin voice with a somewhat melodious quality to it.

"How are you? How are you feeling?" she asked. "Eh, the insurance said they won't cover my new prescription, and I told em I'm moving to Canada!" he declared. He burst out into wheezy laughter at his own joke. Jade's mother smiled politely.

"Jadelyn, come say hello," she said, pulling Jade forward by the arm. Jade shook her off. "OW! I KNOW!" she yelled grouchily. Jade's mother was about to tell her off when her Pop-Pop spoke up. "I'm sorry talking to me is such an issue. I'll be more quiet next time," he said to Jade, bursting into wheezy laughter again. Jade's anger melted away.

She ran up to him and hugged him tightly. He stumbled a bit, but stayed standing. "Well, that's more like it," he said with a little chuckle. "I missed you so much," Jade said, holding back a sob as she clutched his jacket. She finally let go with a sniff and her mother clasped her hands together.

"Dad, I'll get a car service to pick up your bags," she said. He looked at her curiously. "We got six arms between the three of us, don't we?" he asked with a grin. "I only have two bags. Jadie-darling could get them with one hand."

"Well, dad, in case you haven't noticed, Jadelyn's not really in any condition to do any heavy lifting." Pop-Pop adjusted his glasses and stated Jade up and down. He rested his gaze on her stomach. "Ah, I see," he said with a nod. "What happened?"

"Jadelyn decided to ruin her life," Jade's mother replied primly. "I'll get the bags."

Pop-Pop watched her go, then stared intently at Jade. Jade felt like wilting under his hard stare. Then he pointed his cane at her mother's retreating figure. "Stick up her butt. I blame the school system," he said with a smile.

Jade beamed and gave him another hug. "Oh, Pop-Pop. I wish you could always be here," she said into his shoulder. He smiled. "Aw, Jadie-darling, you're making me blush. Let's catch up with the queen," he said. Jade laughed and took his arm. She knew that things would turn out all right.

He was here and everything would be okay.

•••

"I'll be sure to tell my mom. She'll do a full investigation. We'll fix this," Will promised, hugging Cat again. Cat sighed and held onto him tightly. "Okay," she said, her voice cracking. "I'll come back as soon as I can to check on you guys."

"Me and dad?" she asked confusedly. Will shook his head and put a hand on her stomach. "No, you and the baby," he said with a grin. He put a hand on her stomach. Cat smiled and beamed. "Kay-kay!" she chirped. Will began writing down something on a small notepad. "Here. Stuff you need to do," he said softly. Cat nodded, squinting at the paper intently.

Suddenly she heard a car door slam. She shrieked. "Will! It's my dad!" she said, panicked. They ran to the window and saw her father stumbling up the front door holding a bottle of liquor. Cat turned to him fearfully. "He can't find you here! He'll kill me!" she said. Her eyes darted around. "What'll we do, what'll we do, what'll we do?" she asked with tears welling up in her eyes.

They heard a slam on the door. "Cat!" her father slurred. "I don't wanna have to open this door!"

Cat whimpered, ran to the door and clicked it shut. Will grabbed her hand. "Come on!" he yelled. They ran up the stairs into her room. Will shut the door tightly. "You don't have a lock on your door?" he yelled. "Dad took it out," Cat whimpered, tears running down her face. Will looked around as a loud crash came from downstairs.

He began to push Cat's dresser in front of her door. "What are you doing?" she asked with a sniff. "He's gonna get in, but this will buy you some time," he grunted. Cat nodded.

"KITTY! You better be ready for me!" her father roared. They heard him begin to stumble up the stairs. "Quick, Will, the window!" Cat said, running over to it and pulling it open. Will punched the protective screen off and swung a leg over the edge.

He turned back and hugged Cat tightly. "It'll be okay, Cat, I promise. You will be okay," he said. "I know. Thank you," she said into his shoulder. They broke apart, and Will took her face in his hands.

"I'll fix this," he swore. Cat smiled and put a hand on top of his. "Thank you," she said.

They heard a huge crash and turned. The dresser flew back several inches. Cat turned back to Will in panic. "Hurry, Will, go!" she said urgently, shoving him gently out of the window. He nodded, swung his other leg over, and jumped into a tree. He waved. A tear slid down Cat's face, and she waved back.

Her father burst in, and she screamed. "Hiding from me? I'll teach you to hide from me," he growled, throwing her onto her bed.

Outside, Will trembled with rage as he heard Cat begin to scream. He knew he had to get back as soon as possible and tell his mother.

She'd know what to do.

••••

Jade grabbed her purse and stomped to the door. "Mom, I'm going to Beck's," she called over her shoulder as she opened the door.

Heels clacked and Jade's mother raced in. "Jadelyn August West, close that door right now," her mother commanded. Jade sighed, slammed the door, and turned to face her mother.

Her mother crossed her arms. "What makes you think I'm going to let my pregnant daughter traipse around with that hooligan at nine-thirty at night?" she asked. Jade sighed. "Maybe the fact that he's the baby's father ?" she replied sarcastically. Her mother sighed. "Jadelyn. Your Pop-Pop is here. Not to mention that you're already on thin ice with your father."

"Mom, this isn't fair-"

"I'll be okay, Rebecca, doll. If Jadie-darling wants to go, let her go. Isn't her life tough enough?" her Pop-Pop commented from behind his newspaper. Jade's mother sighed. "Oh, for God's sake. Fine. But you will be back by ten," she warned, shaking a finger.

"Okay, bye!" Jade yelled out the door as she jumped in her car.

Jade's mother watched her go with a sigh. "Tea, dad?" she asked finally, turning away from the window.

He smiled up at her. "Gimme a Maker's Mark. The kind that'll knock you dead," he said with a wink. She rolled her eyes.

"You're shameless," she said with a ghost of a smile. He laughed and turned back to his paper.

••••

Will sat tensely, waiting for his mother to come home. It had been a long day-a Greyhound to LA, a bombshell from Cat, a run for his life, and another Greyhound back home. He was lucky he got in before his curfew.

He sighed. It was a weird feeling, realizing that the man he knew and loved was doing such a horrible thing. Cat was so sweet.

He remembered the first time he'd met his uncle. He'd seemed so awesome. Everything his dad never was.

He just couldn't trust anyone.

He heard the door slam. He ran to the door and saw his mother hang up her gun and holster. "God, those damn petty criminals," she said with a sigh.

"Mom, I-" Will began. She ignored him and walked into the kitchen. He followed quickly. "I mean, they think they're so cool by getting into a fight with a trained cop over a can of soup. Honestly."

Will nodded quickly and began to speak again. "Mom, Cat-"

"Cat! That reminds me, we need to send her a gift or something. Tom too. Ever since Andrea left he's been so sad. Took Frankie too...at least he has Cat. Sweet girl, she is."

Will pulled at his mom's sleeve, hoping to get her attention. "I saw her today, and she-"

His mom turned and stared at him. "What? How did you get there?" Will sighed. "Took a Greyhound this morning. I'm fine, but Cat-"

"Will, you can't do that again! You could have been hurt! If you ever-"

"MOM!" Will yelled. She stopped and stared. He sighed. "Cat's in trouble. She's being sexually...uh...what's the word...damn it!" he swore, kicking the counter. His mom smiled gently. "Abused?" she said softly. Will nodded. "Yeah, that."

His mom snapped into her police officer mode. "Is it ongoing? How much do you know about it?" Will paced around. "All the time. It must happen all the time. He lives with her," he said. His mother raised an eyebrow. "Who lives with her? What are you talking about?" she asked. Will groaned.

"It's Uncle Tom," he said.

His mother reeled back like she'd been slapped.

"What?" she asked. Will rolled his eyes. "Uncle Tom. He's raping Cat. He's raping her."

She shook her head, eyes wide and scared. Like a deer caught in the headlights. "No. No!" she said. "He's my brother. You can't accuse him of that! You can't. There's no proof. No proof!"

Will stared at her. His mother had always been a strong person, but she couldn't handle bad news. This was how she'd acted when his dad left. He guided her over to the couch. "Mom, I need you to calm down. There is proof. He came in. He was drunk. He forced open her door and she started screaming."

"That could have been any number of things. Circumstantial evidence."

"She said he was raping her."

"It's just her word against his."

"She's pregnant, Mom."

"You don't know he's the father."

Will balled his hands into fists. "Mom, he's not the same guy you knew growing up. He's different. He's bad. Mom, he's a monster."

He couldn't say he was surprised that his mother punched him in the face. He got off of the floor holding his jaw, waiting for the gasp and the "I'm so sorry, honey!"

But it didn't come.

She sat there, breathing heavily, her face twisted with rage. "Don't you ever talk about my brother that way," she growled. Will frowned, rubbing his cheek. "Mom, Cat is scared for her life! And now there's an unborn kid in that house, with him beating her and raping her! You're a police officer!" he argued.

His mother stood and walked towards her room. Will took a step after her. "Mom, if you don't step in, she'll die," he said.

She stiffened. "Go to your room," she said in an anger-filled voice, disappearing into her room.

Will threw a vase at the wall.

Cat was in trouble now. He'd thought he could rely on his mother.

He really couldn't trust anyone.

••••

"So...what do you want to name it if it's a girl?"

Beck smiled. "Jade," he teased. She aimed a half-hearted punch his way. "No, seriously," she said with a little smile. He bit his lip. "Uh...something pretty like Samantha. Or Aleeah. Or maybe Celia."

Jade snorted. "What's wrong with you?" she asked. "A kid of ours? Named Celia?" He laughed. "Okay, your choices are..."

"Harley, Shiloh, Quinn or Tyler," she said automatically. Beck nodded. "I could see Shiloh...or Quinn...Harley on a good day. But Tyler? We are talking about a girl, right?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She nodded. "Think about how bad-ass those names are! Harley Oliver-West. Tyler Oliver-West. You hear it? She'd be so kick-ass."

"And what if she's a girly-girl and hates the name?"

"No daughter of mine will wear pink."

Beck laughed. "Okay, let's pick a few that are in between. Quinn. Shiloh. Harley. Samantha. But please, not Tyler." Jade rolled her eyes. "Fine," she grumbled.

"What about a boy?"

"Change your last name to Daniel and I have a pretty good idea for a name."

Beck laughed and kissed her forehead. "Want a soda?" he asked, standing and walking over to the RV's fridge. "No thanks," Jade said. She looked down at her hands. "So what did your parents say?" she called.

"Oh, you know. My mom cried, my dad got all pissed, but then they said they'd support me and whatever," he said as he walked back over. Jade nodded. "They still don't like me, huh?" she asked. Beck tossed a soda at her. "It didn't help your case," he said with a little smile.

He popped the top on his soda. "What did your dad say?" he asked. Jade shrugged. "Nothing. He's coming over to the house with her day after tomorrow. He's gonna tell me to abort it, probably cut me out of his will."

Beck watched her face. "Do you care?" he asked softly. Jade shook her head vigorously. "He doesn't control me," she said. Beck nodded absently.

"Are you gonna drink that?" he asked, pointing to the soda in her lap. She looked down at it like she'd forgotten it was there. She picked it up, then dropped her hand back into her lap.

"No, I, uh, read that caffeine isn't good for a baby," she said, looking up. Beck raised his eyebrow. "You read up on it?" he asked.

"It's in me, isn't it?" she said gruffly. Beck looked smug. She shoved him with her shoulder. "Shut up. You know I have a heart," she said with a little laugh.

Beck smiled and nodded. "I know," he said, kissing her.

Jade smiled. Who cared what happened tomorrow? She was going to enjoy tonight. With Beck beside her, and his baby inside of her.

She'd make her own family.

••••

Cat smiled and flipped through the baby name book Jade had given her, bookmarking names with pink and blue post-it's.

She suddenly felt that all-too-familiar twinge in her stomach and raced to the restroom.

She loved her baby, so why couldn't it love her back?

She groaned as she picked herself up off the bathroom floor. The "morning" sickness was really gross and starting to get annoying. She sighed and walked weakly over to her baby book.

As she picked it up, a call on Skype came up. She saw Danny's name and clicked it with a grin.

His beaming face popped up onscreen. "Hey, babe," he said. She waved and smiled back. "Hi, Danny!" she chirped.

He laughed at her enthusiastic greeting, then looked confused. "Uh, Cat, what's that?" he asked, pointing to where her baby book was.

She gasped and quickly covered it up. "Uh, nothing," she said with a little smile.

"Nothing at all."

**Awh. Cute little Cat. **

**Also, I have no idea what I'm going to name the kids, so if you don't like these names, don't worry! Nothing is official yet. **

**Review and make me feel loved! You want me to feel loved, right? Good! Then review. **


	4. Chapter 4

**So here is the next chapter! I hope you guys like it!**

**I loved that in the last chapter, with two new characters introduced and some major drama, the thing most commented on was Bade arguing about baby names. I found it curious, but charming. **

**As a Bat shipper, I've never written for Bade and it's cool to see the kind of things you guys respond positively to! I tried to slip in some cuteness for you guys ;)**

**NOTE: This does contain spoilers for the movies Jeepers Creepers and Teeth. I wouldn't recommend them, but then, I'm like Cat, so horror movies don't work for me. Anyways, if it bugs you, you might want to skip the parts labeled Jeepers Creepers or Teeth. **

**NOTE 2: There's a poll on my profile about the gender of Cat and Jade's babies. I had it all planned out, but I got so many suggestions that my resolve was shaken and now I have no idea what to do. **

**SO PLEASE CHECK OUT THE POLL ABOUT THE GENDERS OF CAT AND JADE'S BABIES.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Victorious characters or any movies mentioned. All OCs are mine, but I am making no profit, yadda yadda. **

Two Weeks Later

Cat squealed excitedly as she hopped into Jade's car. Jade rolled her eyes. "What are you so happy about?" she grumbled.

"I get to see my baby today! And I'll know if it's a boy baby or a girl baby! One time-"

"Cat, we're not gonna find out the babies' genders today," Jade interrupted. Cat looked crushed. "But the book said-"

"At eighteen weeks," Jade gently reminded her. "You're only twelve weeks, and I'm only seventeen. We have to wait a little while longer."

Cat pouted. "Phooey," she mumbled. Jade looked over at the despondent redhead and tried to cheer her up. "Hey, at least we get to have a sleepover," she said in a soothing voice. "That'll be fun." Cat perked up almost instantly. "Yeah!" she chirped, grinning.

Jade smiled. "Okay," she said. "Fasten your seatbelt." Cat did so obediently and Jade began to back out. "HEY! MOVE IT, FATTIES!" she screamed, honking the horn at a group of girls walking behind her car. They screamed and scattered quickly.

Beck, Tori, Andre, and Robbie walked out. Cat hung out of the window and waved. "Bye, guys!" she yelled. They all waved back.

"Bye, Cat!"

"See ya, Little Red!"

"See ya soon, girly!"

"Bye, sweet thing!"

"Bye, Cat! Bring me a picture!"

"Shut up, Vega!" Jade yelled at Tori. She pulled Cat back into the car and peeled out, the tires screeching.

Tori shook her head. "They're going to kill themselves," she said with a little sigh. Beck shrugged. "Nah. Jade's not as reckless with the baby on the way."

"Let's hope," Tori said as they walked away.

•••

The waiting room was cold and musty. Cat shivered and swung her legs back and forth, her knees held tightly together. Jade plopped down, spread her legs, and folded her hands over her stomach.

Cat shivered again. Jade stared at her. "You want the bike jacket?" she asked. Cat nodded. "Please," she squeaked. Jade shrugged off her thick black jacket and threw it at Cat.

She squealed and momentarily disappeared under the leather. Then she popped out and wrapped it around herself. Jade watched her with a raised eyebrow. "Better?" she asked. Cat nodded and giggled, snuggling into the jacket.

A nurse finally came out. "Cat Valentine?" she called. Cat hopped up instantly. "Present!" she called back, laughing at herself. The nurse stared.

Jade quickly stood as well. "Yeah, she's right here. Just tell us where we need to go," she said, crossing her arms. The nurse blinked in shock, then recovered.

"Uh, okay, right this way, Ms. Valentine," she said. Cat and Jade both began to walk forward. The nurse stopped her. "Uh, you are...?" she asked. "Jade West, her emergency contact," Jade said, crossing her arms.

The nurse nodded. "All right, then. If you'll both come this way."

••••

Cat squirmed in her hospital gown. "Stop fidgeting," Jade said from behind her magazine. "I can't help it! This gown is itchy," Cat said. She frowned a little. Jade smiled lightly. "I know. Just don't mess with it. He'll be in any minute now."

Cat nodded and went back to playing with her hair. Jade flipped open the magazine again. "We should subscribe to this," she said. She showed Cat the parenting magazine. Cat nodded. "My mommy used to get that everyday. She used the tips all the time to raise my brother...and me...and our cat," she said with a bright smile.

Jade shut the magazine. "On second thought..."

The door opened and an older man walked in. He looked at his clipboard. "Cat Valentine, right?" he asked. Cat nodded. He smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Dr. Mendler, and I'm going to be taking care of you during your pregnancy, if that's all right with you."

Cat nodded. "Okie-dokie! That'd be cool! You look like my brother's doctor," she said with a bright smile. He returned the smile. "Frankie Valentine?" he asked. "Yes! Are you psychic?"

He chuckled. "No, I just remember him. He was a favorite patient of mine. In fact, I remember you. Small little girl, always holding your mother's skirts. He moved away so suddenly." Cat looked crestfallen. "Yeah," she murmured. "Yeah...he did."

Sensing he'd hit a nerve, Dr. Mendler pressed on. "Who's this?" he asked. "That's Jade. She's my best friend in the whole world!" Cat said with a laugh. Dr. Mendler extended his hand to Jade. "Nice to meet you," he said pleasantly.

She stared at his hand. "And?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Dr. Mendler retracted his hand. "Uh, okay. So Cat, do you know what to expect from these prenatal appointments?"

She shook her head. Dr. Mendler sat down and flipped through his charts. "Well, this is your first one, but you're overdue for one, so it's going to be a longer session. I'll need to take a lot of samples and measurements, and I have to examine some parts of your body, but mostly, I'm here for you, okay? So if you ever get confused about anything, you can ask me," he said, patting her hand.

Cat nodded seriously. "Kay kay," she said, trying to keep in a smile. Dr. Mendler smiled back at her. "Okay, today we're going to weigh you, take your measurements, and hear the baby's heartbeat. Okay?" he asked. She nodded. "Remember, we want you to feel comfortable. So if anything bothers you, speak up, Cat!" She nodded. He put on his examining gloves. "Okay, Cat, if you could put your feet in the stirrups, I'm going to do a quick pelvic exam to make sure everything's working right down there," he said. Cat nodded. "Stirrups...stirrups..." she murmured, looking around the room. "I don't see any stirrups. Or saddles...or horses."

He laughed. "Why don't we call them footrests?" he said. "Oh!" Cat said with a giggle. She plopped her feet down in them instantly. Dr. Mendler chuckled, set Cat's medical chart down on the counter, and sat down by her feet. "Okay, we're gonna start the exam," he said, grabbing a small flashlight.

Jade tossed the magazine aside. "Okay, I'll be the one to ask it," she said, crossing her arms. "Why exactly are you a guy?" Dr. Mendler backed up. "Well, many obstetricians nowadays are, but if Cat would prefer a female doctor, we can arrange for that."

"Who's to say you aren't just some pervert who gets a sick thrill out of 'examining' our privates?" Jade asked. She raised her eyebrow. Dr. Mendler smiled gently. "Don't worry, I assure you. All male OB's are tested for that sort of thing. My intentions are medical, and nothing more."

Jade looked at Cat. "Are you okay with this, Cat? Are you sure you want a male doctor? You know he has to look down there," she said. Cat bit her lip.

"I trust him," she said slowly. "He treated my brother, and he was good. I...I like him." Jade nodded once and sat back down. Cat lay back on the table. Dr. Mendler adjusted his lab coat.

Jade broke the silence. "Well, get on with it!" she said crabbily. Dr. Mendler nodded and grabbed his flashlight again.

Cat squeaked. Jade stood and took her hand. "Are you okay?" she asked softly. "Do you want him to stop?" Cat shook her head, biting her lip. "I just...I thought 'down there' meant my legs," she whispered. Jade squeezed her hand. "You're okay," she said quietly. "You're fine."

"Everything looks good, Cat," Dr. Mendler said. "Although I do see some signs of vaginal stress. Let's talk about that, okay?"

He straightened up and pulled off his gloves. Jade squeezed Cat's hand more tightly as Dr. Mendler got out his chart and a pen. He sat down next to Cat.

"Cat, how many times have you had intercourse?"

Cat looked scared. "Uh...I-I can't remember," she said softly. Dr. Mendler looked at her through his glasses. "I'm not going to judge you, Cat. But it would help us to know. Do you have a rough estimate? Or a guesstimate?"

She bit her lip. "Maybe around twenty," she squeaked. He wrote it down. "And how frequently do you have intercourse?" he asked, his head still down. "About once a day, or once every other day...it depends," Cat said.

As she spoke, she began shaking imperceptibly. Jade began murmuring soft words of encouragement to the redhead. Dr. Mendler carefully copied the information down. "Okay, Cat, I need you to tell your partner to be more gentle with you. You need to take care of yourself or you could tear during delivery," he said.

"Tear? Tear what? My clothes?" Cat asked, looking at Jade for confirmation. Jade pointed downwards. Cat squeaked and clung to Jade.

Dr. Mendler smiled. "Smart girl like you, you'll be fine. Just tell your partner to be gentle." Cat dropped her head and nodded. "Yes, sir," she whispered.

He smiled and patted her knee. "So, let's hear your baby," he said.

Cat squealed happily.

••••

"So, how did it go?" Beck asked, tossing a tennis ball in his hands. Jade shrugged. "All fine. Same as last time, in and out."

"Was your mom there?" he asked. She shook her head. "Just Cat and I," she said. "How was Cat?" Beck asked." Jade shrugged. "Same. She didn't get an ultrasound. Nothing to see yet, you know how it is," she said. Beck nodded.

Suddenly Cat popped up behind Jade and made a barking sound. "Arf! Arf! Hey, Beck!" she said with a giggle. Beck smirked and waved. "Hey, Cat. What's going on?" he asked, watching as she began to roll around the room.

She stopped and popped up behind Jade again. "We're having a sleepover!" Cat screamed. Jade growled at her. "Scream at me one more time, I swear..." she snarled. Beck chuckled.

"You two sound like you're having fun. Don't let me keep you," he said. Jade smiled. "Babe, Cat doesn't mind. Besides, it's just one video chat. And you are the father of my baby."

"But not mine!" Cat chirped from the background. Jade sighed. "Wouldn't it be weird if somehow, Beck was the father of my baby but not yours, because our babies got switched in our bodies, and-"

Jade growled, grabbed a box of Nilla Wafers, pulled one out, and threw it over her shoulder. Cat squealed and pounced on the cookie happily. Jade turned back to her computer screen. "You were saying?" she asked with a little sigh.

Beck raised an eyebrow. "How you two are friends, I'll never know," he commented. Jade shrugged. "I don't think we even know," she said. She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger absentmindedly.

He laughed. "Okay, babe. So what happened when your dad came over?"

Jade bit her lip.

_Mr. West stormed in angrily, Krystal following right behind. Pop-Pop stood respectfully to greet them. "Welcome to our home," he said with a little grin. Mr. West gave him a curt little nod of respect. Jade's mother walked over with some drinks. Jade rolled her eyes at the politeness. It was sickening._

_"Mom, you don't have to-"_

_"Sit down, Jadelyn."_

_When her father spoke in that tone, it was not a request. Jade sighed and stomped over to the living room, taking extra care to stomp her combat boots. _

_Pop-Pop settled back into his chair, her mother sat down, and Mr. West took the couch with Krystal. Jade growled at them all and sat down with a huff._

_Then came the silence. They all stared at each other, and no one seemed to know what to do. _

_Mr. West started. "Jadelyn, I am extremely disappointed in you," he said in a stern voice. Jade rolled her eyes. "I knew that I was going to fail you ever since I was five, dad. Nothing new," she drawled. _

_"This is not a joke, young lady," Mr. West scolded. "I am incredibly upset with you."_

_"And I'm incredibly upset with you for abandoning us, but I stayed out of your business, so I think you should stay the hell out of mine!" Jade snapped._

_Mr. West began to get very red. "Jadelyn, this is not a joke! Do you know what effect this is having on the family?"_

_"Do you mean you and Krystal? Because she looks pretty happy about it," Jade retorted, standing up. Her father stood as well, walking towards her angrily. She crossed her arms and stood her ground._

_"Jadelyn, why in the hell would she be happy about her stepdaughter spreading her legs and getting knocked up at sixteen?" he roared in her face._

_"I'm not her stepdaughter! And I would be, if I were her. Finally, there's someone in the family who's a bigger whore than her!" _

_He slapped her so quickly that no one had time to react. _

_She hit the ground with a grunt. __Now I know how Cat feels__, she thought. Determined to show that she was strong, she got up quickly. Her father was bright red and breathing hard. Pop-Pop and her mother had stood up in shock._

_"Don't-ever-let me hear that word come out of your mouth ever again, Jadelyn," he growled._

_She stood her ground. "What-whore?" she snarled in his face. "Whore, as in a woman who sleeps around? It's not okay around Krystal, your angel, the perfect prostitute, is it? But I'm sure it's okay to say that I'm a whore, isn't it, dad? Jade West, the idiot, the slut, the whore who got herself knocked up. My daughter the whore." _

_She felt tears well up. She pushed them back angrily because damn it, she was Jade West and Jade West did not back down. _

_Her father raised his hand to backhand her. She shut her eyes and braced herself for the blow. _

_"ADAM, DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER AGAIN!" her mother screamed. She strode over and slapped her father in the face. He held his cheek. "Damn it, Rebecca, get out of the way," he snarled. "This is my daughter."_

_Jade's mother laughed, a hollow, bitter sound. "Like hell she is! When we were married, who changed the diapers, measured the medicine, dried every tear? Me! Who did the groceries and helped her with her homework? Me! Who was there when her pets died or when you were out going to strip clubs and sleeping with prostitutes? I was!" _

_Jade raised her eyebrows. She had never seen her mother this angry, not even when her father announced he was leaving her. Her mother looked slightly crazed as she continued to chew out her father._

_"You have never been a father to Jadelyn. You never supported her, you never spent time with her, you never loved her. All those years, I was a single mother, and I never realized it until you left!" She wiped a tear away. _

_"And you cheated on us for thirteen years! And the worst part wasn't that you cheated on me. You cheated on Jadelyn. You cheated on your daughter, the one piece of flesh and blood you have left in this world, and you wonder why she hates you, Adam?" _

_Her mother stopped. Tears began to spill out of her eyes. Jade stood and walked towards her mother. "Mom..." she said softly. "Quiet, Jadelyn, I'll handle it," her mother said in a steely voice._

_"So, Adam, the only thing we want from you is your child support check. You had better pay it, because God only knows Jadelyn will need the money. But if you ever come back here again, or have the nerve to bring this whore into my home, I will make you regret it."_

_She stood only an inch away from Jade's father now. Jade walked over to Pop-Pop and hugged him tightly. He stroked her hair. "It's all right, Jadie-darling," he whispered in her ear._

_Mr. West sighed. "I never wanted a child, Rebecca," he murmured. _

_"Well, now you've got your wish," Jade's mother said._

_"Jadelyn is nothing more to you now than a monthly check. That's all she ever was to you. So take that two-dollar prostitute and get the hell out of my house," she snarled. _

_Mr. West looked at Jade, adjusted his business jacket, and stormed out. Krystal glared at them all and left with him. _

_The door slammed._

_Jade's mother stood in the room, swaying slightly. Jade got up and walked over to her. "Mom..." she said softly. _

_Then the two of them hugged tightly. "I'm so sorry he did that to you, baby," her mother whispered. "I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again." Jade hugged her tightly and felt tears spilling out of her eyes. She sniffed. _

_"I love you, mommy." _

_"I love you too, Jade."_

"Babe?"

Jade looked up. Beck was staring at her. "Hmm?" she asked. "What did your dad say?" he repeated. Jade shrugged yet again.

"Nothing of consequence."

Beck raised his eyebrows, but decided not to comment on it. "Okay, if you say so," he said.

Jade sighed. Beck remembered something. "Hey, did you get a pic?" he asked.

Jade nodded. "Yeah. You wanna see?" He nodded. She began rummaging through her purse. "Fair warning, it looks like a sea monkey," she said.

"I'm sure he or she looks beautiful," he said. She snorted and pulled out the picture. "I'll let you be the judge of that," she said, sitting back up. He smiled at her.

"Behold, good sir, your future child," Jade said, holding out the ultrasound photo. Beck squinted at it.

"Uh...where's the baby?"

"The big blob is the head," she replied, pointing. He leaned in. "Oh, yeah, I can kinda see it," he said. "BS," Jade said with a grin. "It looks like nothing, and you know it."

Beck pointed to a spot. "Is it a boy?" he asked. "They don't know yet."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Why are you asking?"

Beck looked more closely. "I think I see a dick."

Jade turned the picture around. "What? Where?" she asked. "Bottom right," Beck replied. Jade squinted at it.

Then she rolled her eyes. "That's its foot, idiot," she said. Beck looked sheepish. "Oh," he said. "Well, it looks...cute."

"Liar," Jade said. "Hey, if I was lying, you wouldn't know. I tell you that you look great everyday, don't I?" he said with a grin. "Bastard," Jade retorted, smirking back.

She heard a groan and turned. Cat looked sick. Jade rolled her eyes. "Cat, you know where the bathroom is. Down the hall, make a left. If you have to puke, just puke."

Cat shook her head. "I don't want to make your bathroom smell," she mumbled. "Please. I've gone through four and a half months of this. We're used to it by now. Go ahead."

Cat nodded and ran off. "Morning sickness?" Beck asked. Jade nodded. "She's self-conscious about it," she explained. Beck nodded, understanding.

"Beck!" a voice called at the door of his RV. He looked at it. "It's my mom," he said apologetically. "I should go. She's still pretty pissed."

Jade nodded. He blew her a kiss. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Love you," he said teasingly. "Yeah, yeah, I suppose I love you too," she responded.

Cat waved. "Bye!" she chirped. Beck waved back. "See ya Monday, Kitty," he said.

The call ended and Jade turned to Cat. "So, the Scissoring or Amityville Horror?" she asked. Cat squeaked in fear. "Little Mermaid," she whimpered.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Cat!" she groaned. "Please?" Cat asked. Jade picked up a piece of paper and wrote down the names of twelve movies. She then tore them up and put them inside a little bucket.

"Okay, my movie choices are: The Shining, Jeepers Creepers, The Scissoring, Halloween 2, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Teeth. Your movie choices are: Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Tarzan, Hercules, Beauty and The Beast, and Sleeping Beauty. I'll put the names in a hat, and we'll each pick two. Those will be the movies we watch tonight, kay? You should understand that."

"Kay-Kay!" Cat chirped. She put her hand inside quickly and pulled out a piece of paper.

As soon as she read it, her smile melted away. "Teeth," she whispered. Jade cracked up. "Oh, yes!" she cackled. "Okay, my turn." She pulled one out in a heartbeat.

"Little Mermaid," she said with a groan. Cat squealed happily. "Okay, my turn!" she said happily. She pulled out another one and her face fell again. "Oh no," she whimpered. "Jeepers Creepers."

She threw the paper away from herself quickly, like it could hurt her. Jade grinned and pulled out another one. "Hercules," she groaned again. Cat clapped her hands. "Yay! Can we watch Little Mermaid first?" she asked.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Fine. Little Mermaid, then Jeepers Creepers, then Teeth, then Hercules." Cat grinned and ran off to go find her pajamas. Jade smiled at her friend and looked at the pieces of paper she'd pulled out. Then she threw them in the trash.

Sure, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Scissoring were favorites of hers, but she was willing to lie so that Cat could have a fun night.

That's what friends were for, after all.

••••

Jade groaned. "She's so stupid," she said. Cat giggled and continued singing every word of the song along with the redhead on the screen. "Jade, come on! This is fun!" she squealed.

Jade's mother poked her head in. "Cat, dear, make sure to take your pre-natel vitamins," she reminded her. "Kay-kay!" Cat said happily, continuing her wild dance.

Ariel sang out happily-or sadly. Jade couldn't tell which-about wanting to be 'Part of Your World'. Cat knew every word. Jade wondered if Cat identified with Ariel-wanting to be somewhere else, stuck in a place she didn't belong by fate.

"Cat?" she asked. "Yeah?" Cat asked, dancing wildly. Jade looked at her friend, dancing so happily. Without a care in the world. She rubbed her stomach and decided to keep in her dark question to herself.

"Never mind."

••••

Cat screamed loudly for the eighth time. Jade laughed and covered her ears. "Oh, snap! Darry got taken!" she laughed.

Tears were pouring down Cat's face. "I can't believe the monster took him," she whimpered. "What part of his body do you think the Creeper's going to take?" Jade asked with another sadistic laugh. Cat screamed and began to shake like a leaf.

"I think Tori's calling me!" she said, trying to run. Jade grabbed her and held her in place. "No! It's almost over! You have to see the end!" she screamed at Cat. Cat sighed, hugged Mr. Longneck, and settled in to watch the rest of the movie.

The last chilling scene showed the Creeper turning around with Darry's eyes in its sockets, and Darry's eyeless corpse. Cat screamed and burst out sobbing. Jade laughed. Suddenly her eyes widened and she scooted away from the tiny redhead.

"Did you pee?" she shrieked. Cat whimpered. "I'm sorry! It's so scary!" she blubbered, tears streaming down her face. Jade smiled soothingly. "It's okay. You can get some new pajamas from my closet and we'll toss those in the wash. Can you make it through Teeth unscathed?"

Cat wiped her eyes and nodded. "Th-thanks, Jade," she sniffed. Jade patted her head. "No worries."

She went to get some new blankets, praying Cat wasn't too squeamish about deadly genitalia.

•••

Teeth wasn't too bad. Cat cried more at the multiple attempted rapes of Dawn than the penis biting and deaths of multiple guys.

Not surprising, considering what she'd been through.

By the end of it, Cat was still shaking, but not as badly. At least she only screamed twice. Jade considered that a win and put Teeth on her mental list of 'Horror Movies That Don't Make Cat Scream and Pee'.

Cat only had one thing to say at the end of the movie.

"Let's watch Hercules now, please."

•••

"So, did they give you a name along with all those rippling pectorals?"

Cat giggled as Hercules stuttered to find an answer. Jade even cracked a grin at that one. It was a line she might feed to someone as beefed up as Hercules was. Cat's sunny attitude had certainly reappeared, and it had reappeared very quickly.

The good thing was that Jade could actually enjoy this movie too. Meg was a kick-ass girl. I mean, working for the devil? Genius.

Cat snuggled near Jade, putting her head on Jade's shoulder. Jade smiled and rested her head on Cat's.

And the two friends enjoyed these few moments of happiness.

After all, the way they were living, who knew when the happiness would end?

**So there it is! I'm very fond of this chapter. I've never seen any of those horror movies, but we analyzed Teeth for a course on vampires I took. As for Jeepers Creepers…never ever. Never EVER. I only saw one part, and that was because my guy friend made me. It scared me so bad. I had a Cat-like reaction. I didn't pee, but I came awfully close.**

**Needless to say, he no longer tries to force me to watch horror films. **

**Reviews are love! **


	5. Chapter 5

Three Weeks Later

Jade-20 weeks

Cat-15 weeks

**See that? That's the little ticker on Cat and Jade's pregnancies :) I'm not going by month, but rather by week, since that's more accurate. I will put those at the beginning of every chapter now, so you all know where they are. Reference point: babies are usually popping out at around 35-37 weeks.**

**Well, I'm back. Please don't beat me! I have semi-acceptable reasons!**

**1.) I was on vacation!**

**2.) my phone, where I usually write up my stories, fell and the screen cracked, so that was a big annoying thing to deal with. **

**3.) I was trying to give people time to fill out the survey. So far, about ten people have. Thank you to those ten people! It's very kind! :) and if you still want to get your vote in, do it now, because the next chapter I'm announcing the genders and will NOT change my mind!**

**You have been warned. **

Cat snuck up the stairs silently, careful not to wake her father. She'd forgotten to tell her father that she'd gone out with Danny, and she was sure he'd be furious with her if he wasn't sleeping one off.

She crept silently to her room. When she reached it unharmed, she breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly went to her baby names book. "A little girl," she said with a grin and a slight hum.

She could hear Jade's voice, saying "what if you have a boy?" Just like she'd done yesterday. But it didn't matter. Cat could feel that she was going to have a baby girl. One just like her!

She flipped through the book a few times. Then she put a hand on her baby bump. "Maybe you're a...Angie!"

She made a face.

"Noooo...maybe...Susan! Hmmm...noooo..."

Cat ended up sitting there, looking up names, for two and a half hours. After the last name, she threw the baby book on her bed frustratedly. She sighed and put a hand on her stomach.

Cat was slowly realizing that she couldn't do this alone.

•••

Jade screamed angrily. Her mother came in cautiously. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't have anything to wear for tomorrow that fits!" Jade roared, hacking angrily at a pair of her jeans. Her mother's eyes widened, and she quickly pulled the scissors out of Jade's hands.

She sat gently next to Jade. "Sweetie, that's part of being pregnant. Your body's getting bigger."

"Are you calling me fat?" Jade yelled. Jade's mother sighed.

"No, Jadey, no. But you couldn't expect everything to fit. You hit the halfway mark with this baby, and soon you're going to be blowing up like a balloon."

Jade mumbled something incoherent. Her mother smiled and stood. "I have an old pair of maternity pants in the attic that should fit. But maybe you and Cat should take a trip down to that new maternity store tomorrow after school and pick up some things."

Jade nodded sullenly as she began tearing at the jeans with her bare hands.

Her mother sighed and left.

•••

"So, what is this place?"

"It's where pregos and fat people shop."

"Why?"

"Because they don't fit into regular clothes."

A smiling sales lady walked up to the pair. "Welcome to Destination Maternity. Are either of you expecting?"

Jade glared at her. "No, we just happen to both have beer bellies," she snapped at the sales lady. The woman looked taken aback, but recovered quickly. "Yes. Well, feel free to shop around and try on whatever you want. My name is Rebecca, in case you need any help," she said with a big grin.

"Kay Kay!" Cat chirped with an equally big grin. Jade sighed and pulled Cat over to the jeans. "Look at these," she said, pulling out a pair. "None of them are even black!"

Cat giggled as she looked for one in her size. "Oooh, Jadey, these have little stars on them! I'm in space! Wheee! I want the space pants!" she squealed. She began to jump and down.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Do you ever get tired of dressing like a pedophile's wet dream?" she asked the squealing redhead. Cat looked confused. "A whatie?" she asked. Jade sighed. "God help your baby," she grumbled, sifting through the jeans. "It has almost no chance of being normal, being raised by you-which brings me to my main point, when are you gonna tell Danny?"

Cat went over to a rack of maternity dresses. "I...I don't really know," she said. She bit her lip. "Everything's so perfect now. I don't want to mess everything up."

"Cat, nothing about your life is perfect," Jade said with narrowed eyes. Cat sighed. "Daniel is," she insisted. "I don't want this to ruin his life!" Jade shrugged. "Fine, do this whole thing alone, see if I care," she said. Cat looked at the floor and mumbled something. "What?" Jade asked.

"My dad will help me."

Jade's mouth fell open. "Cat, that's sick!" she yelled. Cat whimpered, and her eyes began to fill with tears. "But he...he understands," she whispered. Jade gasped.

"Cat, you told him?"

She nodded. "Well, what happened?"

_The scream echoed through the house. "Daddy, please, I'm sorry," Cat sobbed. "Don't overcook my food, you slut!" her father roared. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" He shook a chicken leg in her face angrily._

_Cat huddled in a corner. Her father grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him. "Don't. Ever. Do it again," he growled at her. Cat nodded, crying. She turned away from the sour smell of beer on his breath. _

_He lifted his hand and slapped her in the face. "Now, who do you love?" he asked. "You. Only you," Cat whispered like she knew she was supposed to. Her father smiled and threw her to the floor._

_Cat wrapped her hands around her stomach, crying softly. Her father turned around and noticed her hands. "Why are you doing that?" he asked, his voice suddenly silky smooth and soothing._

_He walked over to her and stretched out a hand. He touched her stomach gently. Cat flinched. "Cat," he said in a calming voice. "Baby, are you pregnant?" _

_She nodded with tears running down her face. "I'm sorry! Please, please don't hurt my baby," she sobbed. Her father's eyes narrowed. "OUR baby," he corrected her with a hint of a growl. Cat's eyes widened. "Ou-ours?" she stammered._

_Her father smiled reassuringly, and Cat began to let her guard down. "Well, the baby is mine, Cat. You haven't been sleeping with another man, have you? You know how I feel about people who cheat." His face suddenly darkened, and Cat quickly shook her head. "N-no, daddy, never."_

_It was the first time she had ever lied._

Cat shrugged. "He said that it was our baby, and that he was excited to have another little girl around to play with."

Jade felt bile rise up in her throat at the image she saw in her head. She forced herself to remain composed. "Cat," she said in a strained voice. "You cannot stay in that house. It's not safe."

She threw a pair of dark jeans over her arm. Cat held up a few colorful dresses. "No, no, it's better now. He loves me, he's going to help me," Cat said. She sounded like she was still trying to convince herself.

"And what if it's not his kid? It could be Danny's. There's a good chance...I'm assuming," Jade said. As she spoke, she threw random things over her arm without really looking at them.

Cat gasped and Jade turned in alarm. "What? What?" she asked quickly. Cat squealed and held out a bright yellow maternity dress. "Oh, Jadey, you'd look amazing! Try it on, try it on, try it on, try it on, try it on!" she screamed, jumping up and down. Jade took one look at it and walked away.

The shorter girl raced after her, holding the dress out. "What? Why not?" she asked. Jade didn't bother turning around. "No."

"It's so cute!"

"No."

"You'll look like a sunflower!"

"Not now! Not ever! Unless I can hack it to bits," Jade said, turning around. "You'd look super-duper pretty!"

Jade gave Cat a death glare that would have made others shrink away in terror. Cat stuck her tongue out at Jade and handed over a black belt and black bolero jacket. "Wear these with it, then!"

"I'll look like a bee."

"Nooo! You'll look like a pretty sunshine!" Cat insisted. Jade groaned loudly and added it to the pile. "Take this as a sign of how much I love you," she grumbled. Cat squealed and hugged her tightly. The taller girl sighed and began to steer her friend towards the obnoxious looking dressing rooms.

"We're not done with our conversation," Jade warned as Cat slipped into a dressing room. Cat squeaked as she began to try on dresses. "Kay Kay," she said in a tiny voice. Jade stepped out of her dressing room with a grimace.

"I hate you so much right now," she grumbled at Cat. Cat popped out of the dressing room in a cotton candy pink dress. She squealed loudly when she saw Jade's yellow and black outfit, her baby bump causing the black belt to balloon outward.

"Jadey, you're so pretty!" She gushed. "You have to buy it! Please, Jadey, please?" As she spoke, she began to jump up and down excitedly. Jade rolled her eyes. "No way. Not now, not EVER."

•••

"What's this?" Beck asked, pawing through the shopping bags Jade had dumped in his RV. "Maternity stuff I bought. I'm getting to be a cow, in case you hadn't noticed," Jade called from the bathroom. "Trust me, I had," Beck joked. He pulled out a yellow dress. "Did Cat go shopping with you?" he asked. "Yeah!"

"You have one of her dresses in here by accident." Jade came out of the bathroom. "That's mine, dumbass," she snapped, pulling it out of Beck's hand.

Beck turned around. "Wait, what? You bought a yellow dress?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She sighed. "It was Cat's idea. She made me get it!" Jade said defensively. Beck smirked.

"Well, does it look good?" he asked with a laugh. Jade shrugged. "Eh. The color is the only thing I hate about it."

"Why not dye it black?" Beck suggested.

A smile slowly formed on Jade's face. "Yeah," she said slowly. "Yeah, that would work." Beck smirked at the look on her face. "You got excited quick," he chuckled. Jade shrugged and opened a can of lemonade.

She plopped down next to Beck. "What do you want to watch?" she asked. "Like you care!" Beck said in an incredulous voice. "You're right, I don't," Jade admitted, taking a huge gulp of lemonade. "We're watching The Scissoring."

"Fine by me," Beck said with a little grin. They sat in silence for a little while. "Beck?" Jade asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"What if we have a girl?"

"...we'll switch babies at the hospital."

Jade smirked. "Let's do it. I don't want one of those frilly things."

Beck smiled. "Yeah, I can't see us with a girl either. I hope it's a boy." Jade nodded. "Cat would be so much better with a girl, anyways. You know? Her girl would get the whole package."

"I agree. But...in case it's a girl...do you know what names you want?"

"Quinn for a girl, and Jayce for a boy," Jade said with an air of finality. Beck raised an eyebrow. "When did I get a say in this?" he asked. "You didn't," Jade retorted, hitting him playfully with a pillow. Beck wrapped an arm around her and gave her a noogie. Jade screamed and began trying to slide away.

"Hey! HEY!"

"Say I get a say in naming our next child!"

"NO!"

"Say it!"

"Ow! All right, all right!" Beck smiled and released her with a kiss. "Bastard," Jade muttered. Beck laughed and put a hand on Jade's stomach. "So, seriously, when do we get to find out the gender? The doctor said we could three weeks ago."

Jade crossed her arms. "I'm not finding out until Cat does," she said stubbornly. "That's another month!" Beck groaned, sitting back. "Get used to waiting," Jade snapped. Beck sighed.

"This month better go by fast," he grumbled.

•••

Cat twirled happily in her cotton candy dress. It was slimming and pretty, and you could see her baby bump peeking out, like it was saying hello. Cat giggled.

"Hello, baby!" she said with a silly grin. She put her hands on her stomach. She couldn't wait to see her girlie in there. And she'd found a name!

Melody, just like Ariel's daughter! It worked, because Cat was like Ariel! Red hair, redhead! Cat laughed again.

Jade had also told her to pick a boy name, just in case, so even though Cat didn't want to, she decided to name it Eric, because Eric was big and strong and nice to pretty mermaids on the beach who lost their voices.

Suddenly she heard the doorbell ring. "Kitty, door!" her father bellowed from downstairs. Cat gasped.

She had forgotten Danny was taking her to dinner! And she was in a maternity dress with no time to change! She raced to her closet, grabbed a sweatshirt, and pulled it over her head.

Running to the mirror, Cat made sure the sweatshirt properly hid her stomach before grabbing her purse and sparkly heels and racing downstairs.

"Bye, Daddy!" she called as she ran to the front door and opened it as fast as she could. Danny looked handsome, wearing a nice jacket and tie.

He held out a bouquet of pink roses. Cat squealed and sniffed them. "Hey, beautiful," Danny said. He looked at her sweatshirt and raised an eyebrow. "Sweetie...you know we're going to a fancy place, right?" Cat nodded. "Yeah! I was just using it to, uhm, keep the squirrels out of my dress!" she chirped.

Danny laughed and took her arm. "Okay, babe," he chuckled.

Cat breathed a sigh of relief.

•••

"Welcome to Chez Chére," a smiling hostess said. "Hi. I have a reservation under Zarinz, for two at six," Danny said. The hostess smiled and nodded. "Of course. Right this way," she said with a smile.

They got to their seats, and several people threw Cat odd glances. Danny noticed them. "Um, baby?" he asked. "Yuppie!" Cat said with a little grin. "We're inside the restaurant, and I don't think any squirrels will get in your dress here...do you think you could maybe take the sweatshirt off?"

Cat hugged herself and shook her head furiously. "No, I can't," she said with a frown. Danny sighed. "I'll get them to turn up the heat if you're cold," he said gently. "It's just...there's kind of a dress code at this place."

"Oh," Cat said quietly. Her heart felt like it was breaking into a million bazillion different pieces. The waiter came up. "Uh, miss, we do have a dress code here at Chez Chére. Would you mind removing your jacket?" he asked. Cat looked up at him, then at Danny.

Several patrons were staring openly at the little scene.

"Kay Kay," Cat said in a teary voice. She stood obediently and pulled the sweatshirt. She dropped it on the floor quickly and saw Danny's face.

"Cat...you're pregnant?" Danny asked in disbelief.

"I'm so sorry, Danny!"Cat said, beginning to sob. She ran out of the restaurant, sobbing, not wanting to look at Danny's disappointed face anymore.

Danny stood up. "Cat! CAT!" he called after her. She ignored him, pushing her way into the street. "Cat! Wait!"

Cat ran down the street as fast as she could in five inch heels.

She didn't know where she was going, or what she would do.

She just knew that she had to get away.

Cat stopped at a bridge overlooking the river, breathing hard. She panted, looking out at the city, and pulled a shoe off. She was reaching for the other one when she heard a shout behind her.

"Cat! CAT!" She turned to see Danny sprinting up to her. She turned to run.

"Please, please don't! Don't run," Danny panted as he came up to her. Cat stayed, fresh tears coming to her eyes. "I'm so sorry," Cat sobbed. Danny held her face in his hands gently.

"No, no, no, Cat, I'm sorry. I should have worn condoms, and I shouldn't have let you go through with it, you weren't ready. It's all my fault. But we can get through it, because I love you, okay?" he said gently. Cat nodded, tears spilling out from her eyes.

"I love you too," she whispered. Danny kissed her gently. "Wait, Danny...there's something else I have to tell you," she said, sitting down on the curb.

He sat next to her. "What is it?" he said, kissing her hand.

Cat took a deep breath and told Danny everything.

By the end of Cat's story, Danny was shaking with rage. "Baby, why didn't you tell me?" he asked, taking her hand. "I thought you'd be mad at me, like when I ate everybody's bibble," she said sadly.

Danny hugged Cat tightly and kissed the top of her head. "No, baby, no," he said gently. "I'm not mad. I'm going to protect you however I can. I'm getting you out of there."

"How?" she asked tearfully.

Danny smiled slowly. He pulled her to her feet. Then he took her hand and got down on one knee.

Cat gasped.

He smiled. "Caterina Hannah Valentine, I may not know a lot about love, like you do, but I'm pretty sure I'm in it. I don't care who's baby this is biologically, Cat, it's yours and I want to help you raise it. And if you're married, you can come and live with me, and we can really make a go of it," he said. Cat smiled and wiped away tears.

"I don't exactly have a ring...this wasn't exactly planned..." Danny said. They both laughed. "But this will do."

He took the heel laying on the ground and held it out in his hand. Cat put he'd hands to her mouth with a little squeak. Danny grinned. "Cat, I think the slipper fits. Will you marry me?" he asked.

"Yes!" Cat squealed. "Yes, yes, yes!" Danny laughed and slid the shoe on her foot.

He spun her around, and Cat felt that for the first time in a long time, things would be okay.

**Awh! A proposal :) so, there's still time to comment and tell me who you want to meet: Melody and Jayce or Quinn and Eric! Let me know, it'll really help. **

**Please review! You all know the drill ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yes, I'm back. No, I'm not dead! A couple of things. **

**1.) the ticker on Cat and Jade's pregnancy will be at the end of this chapter, because this chapter picks up where the last one left off and spans a month.**

**2.) I've had several complaints about the lack of updates. Well, I was actually at a month long summer camp with no way to update. I'm sorry I can't update more often for you guys, really, but I do the best I can with the schedule I have. However, in response to a guest, I know that there are many stories better than this one on the site, and I am also aware that some people can update more quickly than I can, but please don't pester me about it. Neither of those facts will make me update any faster. So, I am sorry, but you guys will just have to hang with me for this one.**

**3.) I want you guys to get to know me a little better, so if you have a question about me (not "what's gonna happen next?" or "why don't you update?") review with your question and I'll answer it. **

**To the story!**

Danny and Cat sat on his couch, very still. Their hands were intertwined. In front of them, Danny's father paced. He looked very confused. "So...let me get this straight," he said.

He turned to face them. "She's pregnant." Cat nodded. "But it's not yours?"

"No, dad, she's not sure," Danny clarified. "It might be mine, but it might not."

"Who else's could it be?" Danny's mother interrupted from her seat. "Her father's been sexually abusing her for years," Danny said. As he spoke, he put an arm around Cat protectively.

Danny's mother gasped. "Oh, sweetie," she breathed. Cat lowered her head; she still felt ashamed about the whole thing. "So...it's not yours?" Danny's father asked.

"It could be. We'll have to do a paternity test to know for sure," Danny said with an annoyed voice. His father sighed and sat down. "So what are you two going to do?" he asked with a sigh. Danny and Cat looked at each other.

"We're getting married," Danny said with a smile.

His father's mouth dropped open.

"Married?" his mother exclaimed. "Wha-how-"

"I didn't have a ring, but when Cat told me about her father, I knew that I had to help her. And I want to be with her for the rest of my life," Danny said with a big smile. Cat giggled and hugged him tightly.

Danny's father stared at them intently. "You're sixteen," he said in disbelief. "You don't know what you want."

His mother put her head in her hands. "My baby's having a baby," she mumbled. "Where the hell did I go wrong?"

"You didn't, ma," Danny said. He walked over to her and knelt in front of her. "You raised me right, I promise," he said softly. He gently pulled his mother's hands away from her face. "Look at me, ma," he said in the same soft voice.

She slowly lifted her head. "I made a horrible mistake. Cat and I shouldn't have gone all the way. But I'm doing what you always taught me to do. I'm being a man and taking responsibility."

He stood and took Cat's hand. "That's why I'm marrying Cat," he announced. "It's my responsibility to help her through the mess I got her into. And I can't let her go, because I love her." He smiled at her. Cat kissed him happily. "Thank you so much," she whispered.

Danny's parents looked at each other. His father sighed. Then his mother opened her arms to Cat. "Welcome to our family, sweetheart!" she said with a smile.

Cat laughed happily and ran into Mrs. Zarinz's arms. The woman's embrace made Cat think of her mother. Danny shook hands with his father, and the two hugged. "You've done good for yourself, Danny. She's a wonderful girl," he said. Danny smiled. "Thanks, dad."

Mrs. Zarinz stood up with a smile and attacked Danny in a fierce hug. "My baby's getting married! Oh, I never thought I'd see this day! And to a beautiful Italian girl, too!" she said happily, patting Cat on the cheek. Cat smiled happily.

"Now, what part of Italy?" Mr. Zarinz asked with a joking smile. "Uhhh...oh! My mom is from Sicily," Cat said with a huge grin.

Danny's parents exclaimed happily. "Oh! A Sicilian girl! Just like Danny's grandfather!" Mrs. Zarinz said with a whoop of joy.

Mr. Zarinz hugged Cat tightly. "Welcome to the family," he said. Cat felt tears in her eyes.

She'd almost forgotten what having parents that cared about her could feel like.

"We need to celebrate!" Mrs. Zarinz crowed. She turned to Cat. "Do you like braziole? Oh, I'm being a ditz. Of course you like braziole. You're Italian! Okay, you want braziole? I got braziole in the kitchen!" Mrs. Zarinz hurried off to the kitchen. Cat and Danny looked at each other and laughed.

Danny's father smiled at the pair. "Okay, Danny Zarinz, you know our rule-you get into it, you get out. So I'm sure you've already guessed-"

"We have to cover all the costs related to the baby. I know, and I'm ready. I'm going to get a job. I'm gonna do my best to make sure Cat and this baby never want for anything," Danny said, putting a hand on Cat's stomach. His father nodded in agreement.

"But that doesn't apply to the wedding!" Mrs. Zarinz interrupted, coming out of the kitchen with a tray full of steaming braziole.

"What? What do you mean?" Danny asked. He and Cat shared a look. "Well..." Mrs. Zarinz started. She and her husband looked at each other and nodded before smiling at the young couple.

"We're gonna give you money for your wedding," Mr. Zarinz announced proudly.

Cat's mouth fell open. "Wha-what?" she breathed.

"Now I know the father of the bride is usually supposed to pay, but based on what you two told us, you won't get a cent out of that bastard, so we'd like to give you money to have a proper wedding," Mr. Zarinz explained.

"No son of mine is having a courthouse wedding!" Mrs. Zarinz interjected. Danny laughed.

"And I think that you two should have a proper wedding like any couple, doesn't matter how old you are," Mr. Zarinz finished.

Danny went up and hugged them tightly. "I can't thank you guys enough," he murmured into the hug. "It's not much," Mrs. Zarinz interrupted nervously. "We can only spare about ten thousand right now, but if this is the situation, we want you to have it."

"It's more than I could have ever hoped for," Danny assured his mother.

Cat was still standing dead still. The Zarinzes focused on her. "You okay, honey?" Danny's mother asked. Cat put a hand on her baby bump.

Then she burst into tears.

Danny ran over and hugged her. "Cat, baby, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly. "You're too nice to me, I don't deserve it," she sobbed into Danny's shirt.

"Hey, hey, hey," he soothed. "You do, I promise. You deserve every good thing in the world."

Cat nodded and gave him a tiny smile. Danny kissed her gently. "So, what are we having?" he asked with a smile. Cat grinned back.

"I think it's a girl!"

THE NEXT DAY

Jade plopped down in the seat of the hairdressers. "Purple and red streaks this time," she said without looking at the stylist. "You sure you don't want it back to brown, mama bear?" he joked.

Jade stuck her tongue out at him. "Shut up, you know that's not my style," she said. He nodded. "Okay, go over to the dying station and I'll meet you there."

She snagged a Parenting magazine off the rack and went to the dying station. As she walked, she saw several older women staring openly at her. She deliberately gave them a nasty glare. Let them talk about that for a while.

"I like the dress, by the way," the stylist said as he came up with bottles of dye. Jade looked down at herself. It was Cat's dress, dyed black and accessorized with knee high boots and all sorts of metal chains. "Yeah, it's all right," she conceded, settling back in the chair. Her stylist chuckled as he began streaking her hair.

Jade flipped through the magazine absently. Nothing she could see that would help her be a good mom. Suddenly she saw an article about unconventional parenting methods. "Hmm..." she hummed softly as she read the article. This was more her style.

She looked up and noticed that the women who had stared at her when she came in were whispering and pointing at her. Jade rolled her eyes. People should have better things to do than to gossip about her and her life choices.

She smirked at them and flipped them off casually, hiding her hand partially behind her magazine. She heard the gasps and laughed quietly. She was going to miss raising hell once this baby was born.

Not that she necessarily had to give it up, but Beck wanted their kid to grow up relatively unscarred. He was such a girl.

Suddenly her phone rang. She checked the screen.

Incoming Call From: 'Rina

She answered it immediately.

"What's up?"

"I told Danny!"

Jade raised her eyebrows. "So you grew a pair, huh? What'd he say?" she asked, turning a page of her magazine. Cat squealed.

"He proposed!"

Jade sat straight up. "Shit!" she exclaimed. Everyone in the salon turned toward the source of the profanity. Jade clapped her hand over her mouth. "That was loud, sorry, Cat," she apologized. "But oh my God! Married? Cat, are you sure?"

"Yes! Jadey, will you be my maid of honor, please please please with a whole entire cupcake on top?" Cat squealed through the phone. Jade shifted the phone as she tried to find the words to say to her friend.

"Yeah, of course I'll be your maid of honor, Cat, but are you sure you want to get married?" Jade asked. Her stylist pulled her back down into the chair.

"I love Danny, more than anything. And we're having a baby, so we're supposed to get married. Don't you want to marry Beck?" Cat asked confusedly.

Jade snorted. "Hell no!" she exclaimed. "We're only juniors! And yeah, I love Beck and I'm having his kid and all, but just because I'm going to have a baby with him doesn't mean that I'm stuck with him forever," she explained.

"So you want to dump him?"

"No! I'm just not going to marry him this young. There are other fish in the sea, you know?"

"Beck's not a fish. Are you eating seafood or something?"

"Not literal fish, Cat, it was a metaphor."

"A whatie?"

"Never mind. My point is, what if my soulmate isn't Beck? I don't want to take that chance. I want to know that I still have the option to find love somewhere else."

There was silence for a long time. "I don't know what I'd do without Danny," Cat said softly. "Is that what true love is supposed to feel like?"

Jade had no idea. "I guess," she said after a while. "Kay Kay!" Cat chirped, her cheery self again. "I have to start planning the wedding!"

"Wait, with what money?" Jade asked. Cat giggled. "Well, Danny's parents are giving us ten thousand dollars to have the wedding with!" she explained.

"Don't you think that should go towards the baby?" Jade asked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, no, Danny's parents said that we're only supposed to use their money on the wedding, because they don't want Danny to think that they're okay with him getting me pregnant. Danny says it's their way of punishment," Cat explained.

"It sounds weird to me, but whatever," Jade muttered. Cat giggled. "Okay, Jadey, I have to go with Danny to start planning the wedding! I'll see you later! Thank you so much!"

"Yeah, yeah," Jade muttered. She hung up the phone with an eyeroll. Her hairstylist smirked. "So your little sister's prego too?"

Jade smiled. She had brought Cat to the salon and told everyone there that they were adopted sisters. For all intents and purposes, they were, so it wasn't really a lie.

Just...a lie.

She grinned as the women in the chairs continued to stare at her belly. Jade moved around to see her streaks. "Nicely done," she complimented as she admired the purple and red streaks. He gave her a little bow. "Okay, to the washing station with your little tush!" he said, nudging her.

She stood and began walking over. One of the women leaned over and whispered something that sounded like "her friend is pregnant too". That was when Jade lost it.

She whipped her head around. "Excuse me, ma'm? Would you say that to my face?" she snapped. The woman looked taken aback. "Oh, sweetie, I didn't mean anything about you," she stammered. Jade began to walk closer. "Oh, I think you did. You have no right to judge me on my life choices. I don't judge you for being a trashy suburban housewife with nothing better to do but bash on people half your age!"

The woman looked outraged and opened her mouth to speak, but Jade steamrollered on. "And for your information, my sister that you're judging right now is a victim of rape! She's having this baby out of the goodness of her heart. How dare you try and undermine what a good person she is?" Jade yelled loudly. Everyone in the salon was openly staring at her outburst. The woman stuttered, trying to find proper words to say.

"I-I didn't think-"

"Damn right you didn't think!" Jade yelled. "And you know what, I've already been put through hell about this baby without you adding to that! So-EFF YOU, LADY!"

Her stylist gasped.

Tears ran down Jade's face, but she kept going. "Yeah, that's right. Eff you, and eff your freaking friends, and eff your stupid SUV and your soccer playing kids and your corporate America husband and your DUMB HAIRDO!"

She stormed out of the salon. "I'll pay you next week!" she threw over her shoulder at the stylist.

Jade barely made it to her car before she broke down sobbing. She began crying on the steering wheel.

What was happening to her? She never cried. It must be those baby hormones Beck was talking about. She turned on the engine quickly.

Now she just wanted to forget the whole thing ever happened.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Mr. and Mrs. Zarinz Request

The Honor Of Your Presence

At The Wedding Of Their Son

DANIEL JONATHAN ZARINZ

To

MISS CATERINA HANNAH VALENTINE

Saturday, The Twentieth Of April

The Greenbriar Chapel, Los Angeles

RSVP with Angela or Phillip Zarinz

Jade flipped the card over in her hand a few times. It had Cat all over it: it was pink, with flowers and a big loopy font. Andre as the best man, Robbie and-ugh-Tori as the only bridesmaid and groomsman, ad Danny's little cousins as the, uh, flower bearer and the...ring guy...whatever. It was going to be one hell of a bash.

Cat jumped up and down in her chair. "I can't wait to try on dresses!" she said with a huge grin. "Jadey, did you like the invitations?" Jade smiled at her enthusiasm and nodded. "Yeah, Cat, it's really great."

"So, we got invites, caterer, a DJ, the venue. We're in good shape, honey!" Mrs. Zarinz said, putting an arm around Cat. Cat giggled.

"Oh, don't forget a good color coordinator. I got married with one, recommend it to everyone," Jade's mother chimed in. Jade rolled her eyes. "And that marriage worked out splendidly for you," she muttered. Her mother flashed her a look that told her not to start arguing with her today.

Tori leaned across Jade to touch Cat's hand. "So did you send an invite to your mom?" she asked. Cat nodded, her crimson hair flying. "She's coming!" she chirped happily. "Really? Have you talked to her?" Mrs. Zarinz asked.

Cat shook her head innocently. "No...I just know," she proclaimed. The others in the group exchanged glances. Jade sighed. She didn't want to get Cat's hopes up, but she didn't want to crush them, either. She and Tori shared a glance.

A saleswoman walked up. "Hi! I'm Stephanie, I'll be helping you out today. Which one of you beautiful ladies is Cat Valentine?" Cat's hand shot up. Stephanie laughed and shook Cat's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Cat, who did you bring with you today?"

"I brought my fiancé's mom, my bridesmaid Tori, my maid of honor's mom, and my maid of honor Jade!" Cat said with a huge smile. If Stephanie thought that the arrangement of people was a strange one, she didn't show it. "Okay! Lovely to meet you all, and welcome," Stephanie said, taking a seat next to Cat. "So what kind of styles did you have in mind?"

"I want to look like a princess! With something pink!" Cat shouted at once. Everyone laughed, including Stephanie. "Okay," she said with a smile. "We can do that. Do you have a price range?"

"No more than 2,000," Mrs. Zarinz cut in. Stephanie nodded. "Okay! Well, I'm going to take the bride with me, and you all will see her later!" Cat squealed and hopped up to follow Stephanie.

Jade sighed and settled back in her chair, hands on her absurdly large stomach. Her mother had said that some people show more than others, but Jade thought it meant that they were having a fat baby. Why else would she look so big, right?

She just wanted to get this whole thing over with.

•••

Dresses flew past Cat as Stephanie led her to a dressing room. She couldn't believe she was going to pick out a wedding dress today! It was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her. She put a hand to her stomach.

Stephanie opened a door and Cat raced inside. "So, Cat, tell me a little bit about your fiancé," she said as they both sat down. "His name is Danny," Cat said with a huge grin. "We met at a party, and we've been together for almost eight months, and he's the father of my baby." Stephanie nodded and began writing information down on a pad.

"Okay, Cat, I'm going to go pull some dresses I think you'll like, and we can start trying things on, okay?" Cat nodded, bouncing up and down excitedly. She couldn't wait to see her first dress! She hoped that Danny and the baby liked it as much as she would.

Stephanie came in with four dresses in plastic cases. "Okay, Cat, these dresses are all off white or shades of pink, and I brought in a couple of different silhouettes so that you can see which one you like, okay?" Cat squealed like a baby piglet. She couldn't wait! Staring at the rose pink dresses made her heart beat faster.

"Can I put one on?" Cat asked with a grin. Stephanie laughed. "Yes, of course you can. Why don't we try a mermaid or A-line style first?" she suggested. Cat smiled and nodded, trying to look like she knew what an a-line was. Maybe there was a b-line...or a c-line.

Stephanie helped her into the first dress, a chiffon mermaid dress in a rosy pink color. Cat smiled at the pink, as Stephanie made it fit her with clips. "I have a tail! I have fins!" she squealed. Stephanie took Cat's hand and helped her off of the podium. "Let's go show them, then!" she said with a warm smile.

As Cat walked back into the room, she heard Tori gasp. She grinned. Jade crossed her arms, and the two older women began whispering to each other. Stephanie put Cat in front of a three way mirror and pulled the train down, letting everyone get the full effect of the dress.

"Cat, you look beautiful!" Tori squealed. "I love it." Cat spun around with a little frown. She'd wanted a Cinderella dress. This didn't look like that. "I don't know," she said, biting her lip.

"I hate it," Jade said bluntly. Her mother flashed her a look. "Well, I do!"

Mrs. Zarinz squinted. "I don't like the silhouette," she pronounced. "It's not appropriate for a wedding."

"And I don't think chiffon is the right fabric. Can we see you in something a little more traditional?" Jade's mother asked. Stephanie nodded. "Okay. Cat, let's go back."

They headed back to the dressing room, Cat's brow furrowed in deep thought. Stephanie slid the dress off and put it back in plastic wrap. "Cat, what did you think of that dress?" she asked. Cat shrugged. "The color was pretty, but I want to look like Cinderella," she explained. Stephanie nodded and pulled another dress out of its wrapping.

"This one is more traditional, to please the moms, and it is pure white, but we can always add pink accents," Stephanie explained as she helped Cat into the dress. Cat scrutinized it closely in the dressing room mirror.

It was a simple satin a-line dress with beading at the sweetheart neckline and a drop waist that went into a sweeping chapel train. Cat sighed. She thought it looked pretty, but there was no pink! And she still didn't look like Cinderella.

"What do you think?" Stephanie asked, adjusting the dress with clips. Cat sighed. "It's pretty, but it's not Cinderella," she explained. Stephanie nodded. "Okay! Well, why don't we go show them, see what they think?" Cat nodded.

"Now this is beautiful!" Mrs. Zarinz said as Cat came out. "It's very timeless and elegant, don't you think?" Jade's mother said. Tori and Jade shared a look. "It makes her look forty," Jade said. "Yeah, it doesn't make you look young! Which is crazy because you are young," Tori chimed in.

Cat wrinkled her nose. "I don't like it either," she decided. Stephanie nodded. "Okay, let's go put on another one."

Back in the dressing room, Stephanie unzipped one more dress with smile. "I think you'll like this one," she said, helping Cat into it.

Cat turned around and gasped. It was a satin ball gown, with a jeweled bodice and a pale pink waistband. Cat squealed. "It's perfect!" she screamed happily. Stephanie laughed. "Why don't we show them?" she asked.

Everyone gasped when Cat walked out. "Oh, my God, Cat," Tori breathed. Cat spun around in the mirror with a big grin. She turned to the side and saw her baby bump ballooning out beautifully from under the satin waistband. She put a hand on it briefly. "I love it!" she squealed. "I feel like Cinderella. But with no mice." Tori laughed.

Mrs. Zarinz beamed and wiped away a tear. "Oh, Cat, honey, this is your dress," she said with a smile. Mrs. West nodded her approval. "It's stunning," she said. Cat smiled. "I really feel like a princess," she said. Then she turned to Jade.

"Jadey? What do you think?" she asked, biting her lip. Jade sighed and put a hand on her stomach. "I...don't like it," she admitted. Cat's face fell. "Really?" she asked in a whisper of a voice. Jade nodded.

"It looks like it's swallowing you!" she said. Cat instantly turned to the mirror to take another look. "Oh, no," she whimpered. Her lip quivered. Tori and Jade shared a look. "Cat, don't!" Tori begged. Cat whimpered again and burst into tears.

Jade and Tori got up immediately and ran-or waddled, in Jade's case- to comfort her. "Cat, don't cry," Tori said, hugging her tightly. "You look beautiful in this dress." Cat shook her head, burying it in her hands. "I can't get a dress you don't like, Jadey," she sobbed.

The other girl rolled her eyes heavily. "Cat, this is your wedding. Why the hell do you care if I like the dress or not?" she retorted. "I want you to be happy," Cat sniffed. Jade sighed. "Cat, will this dress make you happy?" she asked, putting her hands on the tiny redhead's shoulders. Cat nodded, looking more than a little confused.

Jade dropped her hands. "Okay. Then I love it," she pronounced. Cat gasped. "Really?" she asked. Jade nodded. She turned to flash Tori an especially nasty glare. "And if anyone has a problem with it, they can talk to me," she threatened, crossing her arms.

Cat squealed and attacked Jade with a bear hug. Stephanie laughed. "So, Cat, is this your dress?" she asked. Cat wiped her tears away and nodded. "Yes," she said with a big smile. "This is my dress!"

Everyone cheered and Cat squeezed Tori and Jade in a big hug. She felt like everything was going the way it was supposed to-at last.

ONE WEEK LATER

"I can't wait to find out!" Cat said with a big smile. Danny kissed her cheek lovingly. "Me either, babe," he replied. Beck and Jade stood on the other side of Cat, anxiously waiting. "They need to hurry it up," Jade complained. Beck rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. "She'll be here soon," he assured her.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the ultrasound technician came in. He walked over to the table Cat was on and smiled down at her. "Hi, Caterina. Ready to see your baby?" he asked. Cat smiled and nodded. "Hurry up!" Jade snapped.

The man wasted no time getting Cat's stomach ready to be viewed. He put the ultrasound wand on it and an image filled the screen. Cat gasped. "There's the baby," he said to her with a smile. "The head is right there, and see that? That's a foot down there."

Cat's eyes filled with tears. "Oh my Gosh," she whispered. "Would you like to know the sex?" the technician asked. "Yes, please."

He twisted the wand. "Congratulations, Miss Valentine, you're having a baby girl," he announced.

Tears began spilling out of Cat's eyes. "Oh my gosh," she said tearily. Danny beamed. "Cat, we're having a little girl," he said in disbelief. She nodded happily, and he kissed her. Jade rested her head on Beck's shoulder. She was so happy for Cat. Cat would be the best mother a little girl could ask for.

Cat and Danny hugged tightly, and he helped her off of the table. "Jade West?" the technician asked, looking at Jade. She nodded. His eyes widened as he took in her stomach. "How far along are you again?" he asked. "23 weeks," Jade responded. He looked surprised, but said nothing.

Jade struggled to get onto the table. "Careful, Jade," Beck said, helping her up. "I am careful!" Jade snapped. He rolled his eyes.

The ultrasound technician set her up, twisted the wand, and saw the picture. "There it is," Beck murmured. Jade cracked a smile. "Pretty," she said. "Can we know the sex?"

The technician nodded. "Yes. It's a boy-"

"YES!" Jade said with a tiny fist pump.

"-and a girl," the technician finished.

Jade froze. "...what?" Beck asked. The technician looked confused. "I thought you knew," he explained.

"You're having twins."

Stunned silence followed his announcement. Cat and Danny looked at each other. Then Jade hit Beck over the head with a snarl. "Damn it, Beck!" she yelled. "Ow! What did I do?" he yelped, holding his head.

"It was YOUR damn sperm that got me knocked up twice!" Jade growled, continuing to hit him. "I can't believe you!" She stood up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Beck sighed and turned to the technician. "And that's tame for her," he said with a sigh.

**Cat-18 weeks**

**Jade-23 weeks**

**Hope you guys liked it!**


	7. Chapter 7

**There were a lot of questions I got in! Okay, here goes, my lame attempt at trying to get them all answered:**

**Guy who was rude asked: how old are you? Are you still in school? If so, what grade are you going into this year? Another thing, you seem to know a LOT about pregnancy and babies, AND dresses in addition to that because of your most recent chapter. Did you do research for the sake of this fanfic? Or is there something else behind your knowledge?**

**ANSWER: yes, I am still in school! :D I am 16, in the 11th grade. I did do some research for the sake of this fanfic, but I wanted to be a fashion designer at one point in my life, so as a result I can sew and I know a lot of fashion terms. I like to use them to paint a picture for the readers-I want you guys to see the beautiful wedding dresses that I see! Although I do watch a LOT of say yes to the dress :) I've even picked out my wedding dress...don't judge! as for the babies, my sister was one and I took care of her a lot. Plus I've written a lot of fiction about babies and I'm one of those people who knows their goal in life is to be a mom. Weird, I know :P But research did occur on that front, to make the story as scientifically accurate as possible.**

**NeonLovesYou asked: How do you have so much knowledge of this stuff O.o **

**ANSWER: see above ;)**

**MagykPaw asked: You got to go to a month-long camp? Lucky! How was it?**

**ANSWER: Well, I've been going to this particular camp for four years now, and this year I aged out of the program. It was incredibly bittersweet, I had so much fun, learned an immense amount, and there are no real words to express the amount of love I feel for the people I met there. **

**Fallspring99 asked: So is cats wedding after she has the baby?**

**ANSWER: Currently undetermined. It depends on which direction I take the story, but I'm leaning towards the wedding being before the baby is born. **

**And there you go! Special note to Mimi: I didn't quite understand what you were asking, so maybe leave a review on this chapter clarifying.**

**And to SkyeVenomatic: Don't hide your feedback! I actually agree with you about most of it. I also thought Jade was OOC in the first couple of chapters, and I've really tried to get it right as the story progresses. I really appreciate your feedback and thanks for reviewing on all six chapters! Big hugs to you! :D**

**Also, sharing some good news with you guys. I just got cast as Patrice in a local production of 13, which as most of you know is a show that Ariana Grande and Liz Gillies were in on Broadway. I'm super excited to get started!**

**I want to apologize that this is even later than most. I started a new school, and there's this girl who's mean to me, and my best friend and i had a huge fight, and-no, I'm not going toilet my personal problems serve as an excuse... I'm just sorry.**

**And lastly, Victorious is ending, and I just wanted us to have a moment of silence...assuming we can't save it. Well, I just want us all to stick together in this tough time. And I mean tough times. I couldn't write for a week, I was so sad. **

**Finally! Sorry for the atrociously long author's note. Begin story!**

Beck, Cat and Danny stood outside the bathroom at the clinic. "Jade!" Beck yelled, knocking on the door. "Jadey!" Cat called. She put a hand on her stomach. "WHAT?!" Jade screeched back.

"Come out of there! We can make it work!" Beck called. "It's going to be fine," Danny said in a reassuring voice. Cat smiled and nodded. "One time, my brother-"

Beck cut her off quickly. "Cat, now's not the best time," he said gently. Cat's eyes widened in understanding, and she nodded. Beck turned back to the bathroom door. "Jade! Come on. This is stupid."

There was a movement, then something that Beck suspected was Jade's foot slammed into the door. He jumped back. "Go AWAY!" Jade screeched. "No!" he yelled back. Her foot slammed into the door again. "I said GO AWAY!"

Beck sighed. "You know what, no," he said. "What?!" Jade yelled. "NO!" Beck bellowed back at her. "I'm not leaving!"

Stunned silence followed his announcement. He decided to just keep going. "Look, Jade, I know that we weren't expecting twins. But damn it, you're Jade West! You've always said you're not scared of anything. And if you're as strong as you say you are, then these babies are going to have a great mom. But the Jade West I know wouldn't go in the bathroom and hide. She'd say, 'screw it! I am going to face this.' I guess I was wrong."

He pressed his ear to the door, waiting for a reply. Cat and Danny leaned closer. Suddenly the door opened and Beck fell flat on his face. Jade looked down at him briefly. "Sorry about that," she said, stepping over him.

Beck recovered quickly. "So, you're okay with this?" he asked, taking her hands. "Well, I kind of have to be," Jade snapped. "It's not like there's a lot I can do about it now." Beck smiled and moved to kiss her.

She put a hand up and grabbed his face. "Nice try," she said with a snarl, shoving his face away. "I can still be mad at you." Cat giggled as Jade began to stomp away.

"Tough luck, dude," Danny said, clapping Beck on the back. Beck shrugged. "Well, we got her out of the bathroom. Let's call that a win and move on."

The two shared a chuckle and followed the girls out of the doctor's office.

•••

"Twins?!" Jade's mother exclaimed. She set down the laundry heavily. "Oh my God." Jade nodded in agreement. "I know," she grumbled, playing with the bottom of her shirt. Her mother sat down next to her, still in shock. "I-I don't know what to say," she murmured.

Jade frowned and stared harder at her shirt, trying to ignore her mother. "You don't have to say anything," she growled. Her mother smiled softly as she watched Jade pouting.

"You're so strong," she murmured. Jade raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. "I can't describe how proud you've made me. I really can't. The way you're handling this makes me so happy to be your mother." She kissed the top of Jade's head.

Jade looked up and smiled softly. "Thanks," she said. Her mother smiled back. "You're going to be a good mother," she assured her daughter. "I know!" Jade retorted. Her mother laughed and got up to continue her dry cleaning. Jade watched her mother walk away with a smile on her face.

What would she do without her mother?

•••

"I can't wait to marry you."

"I can't either! I'm as jumpy as a nut!"

"A squirrel, babe."

"Oh...I'm as squirrelly as a nut!"

"Close enough. Look, I gotta go-ma's making something and she wants my help. I love you."

"I love you too!"

The call ended. Cat held the phone to her heart with a smile. She was deliriously happy. In just two months, she was marrying Danny, she'd be away from her dad, and she'd start a new life. It was so exciting!

She wrapped her arms around her stomach. Around Melody! Cat giggled to herself. She loved that name so much. She and Danny were going to be so happy. She could picture them now, dressing Melody in pink and kissing her goodbye as she went to preschool.

Cat could see them being happy.

She suddenly heard the door close and shut her eyes tightly. Her dad was home. She prayed that he was in a good mood today.

He came up the stairs silently. "Hi, sweetie," he said in a gentle voice. "How are you?" Cat shifted slightly away from him. "Fine," she whispered. He sat next to her and ran his hand through her hair. Cat whimpered. "How's our little baby?" he asked with a smile, putting a hand on Cat's stomach. She gently pushed his hand away. "Fine, daddy," she responded with a sigh.

Her father's eyes narrowed at the tone of her voice. "Why so upset?" he asked. "Is it so awful, us having this baby?" Cat shook her head quickly, knowing that the right answer was important-for her and her baby. "No, daddy, I love this baby," she answered.

He smiled contentedly. "Good. I think I'll let you rest tonight. You need sleep to take care of our little girl," he said. He ran a hand along Cat's stomach before standing.

"Daddy?" Cat asked hesitantly. He turned with a seemingly harmless smile plastered on his face. "What if it had been a boy?"

Her father kept smiling in his eerie way. "Well, sweetie, we would have had him...removed," he said. Cat gasped. He quickly walked back over to her.

"But we don't have to worry about that. It's a beautiful little girl. And when she gets old enough, I'll love her the way I love you," he said with a dark laugh.

Cat's blood ran cold.

He smiled at her again before closing the door. Cat picked up her phone and blindly began typing. She didn't care who she told, she just knew that she had to get out of this house before he killed her-and her little daughter.

Her phone began buzzing right after she sent the message. She picked it up with shaking hands.

**From: Luvvy cuzzy willy 3**

O my god. Cat, i am gonna talk 2 my mom. We will get u out of there, i promise.

**From: Love of life + Melody's papa 3**

Baby, don't worry. I'm going 2 tell my ma, we'll get you out as soon as you're ready 2. We can start packing tomorrow.

**From: Jadey-Bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

That mother f*¥#'%\ is gonna DIE. I WILL DESTROY HIM. Hang tight for a few more days. Gimme some time to beat his ass.

**From: Becky-poo the blue baboo (:**

Cat, listen to me. Stay calm. Keep him happy and calm until we can figure out a plan to get you out of that house. I am going to Jade's tomorrow, we'll call Danny, maybe your cousin. Together we will get you out, but you have to promise not to do anything stupid. Don't tell him about the wedding or Danny. You can do it, Kitty-Cat. Love always.

Cat sighed with relief and flopped back on her bed. She pressed the phone to her chest. In a couple of days, she would be out of this house. It was the best news she'd heard in a long time.

Maybe she could have a normal life after all.

•••

Mrs. Oliver sat down heavily in her chair. Beck quickly began shoveling food into his mouth, hoping to avoid questions. "A boy and a girl?" she asked incredulously.

Beck nodded and forced himself to swallow. "Yeah. It's not a big deal, mom," he said. Mrs. Oliver glared at him. "It is a huge deal, Beck! You're the father! You're expected to support these babies, and you could barely do it with one!"

"Well, thanks for believing in me, mom," Beck said sarcastically. "It's not like we planned to have twins." His mother sighed. "But sweetie, if you two had been more responsible, this wouldn't have even been a problem," she said.

She leaned over the table and kissed Beck's cheek. "I love you, honey," she said, putting her hands on his cheeks. "No matter what you do. I just...I wish you'd been a little more careful, that's all."

"Me too," Beck muttered. Mrs. Oliver swept the plates away and carried them into the kitchen. "So, what are the names you've chosen?" she called. "Jayce and Quinn," he called back.

His mother frowned. "You didn't want something a little more traditional?" she asked. Beck shrugged. "I didn't really get a say in it," he said with a little laugh. His mother frowned again. "Why is she making all of the decisions for you, honey?" she asked. Beck stood. "Hey, I make some decisions!" he said.

"Whatever you say, sweetie," Mrs. Oliver said with a sigh. "Now come help me with the dishes." Beck stood and walked over. His mother smiled up at him. "Now, when are you going to stop growing, you monkey?" she asked. Beck laughed. "Soon, I think," he replied. She laughed as well and handed him a towel.

He began drying methodically. His mother scrubbed a pan with a faint smile on her face. "I remember when I was taller than you. You were only up to my knee, you needed a stool to reach the sink. And we would sing the drying song..."

"When mr. dish is dirty, he takes a bath," Beck sang with a smile. His mother laughed. "With a scrub and a rub, he's on the right path," she joined in. "He needs a towel and a friend to help him along, so we all sing the drying song!"

Beck laughed. Then he looked over at his mother. She was wiping tears away with a shaking hand. He rolled his eyes playfully. "Oh, no, mom! Don't cry!" he said. She shrugged and leaned on the sink, getting herself under control. "I'm sorry! I just...it's always hard for a mom. Watching their child grow up. And you're growing up too fast, and-"

She broke off and wrapped her arms around her son. He rested his chin on her head lightly and hugged her back. "Mom, it's okay," he said soothingly.

She nodded into his chest and broke away, wiping her eyes. "I'm fine, sweetie," she assured him. "This whole thing has just been very hard on me." He sighed. "I know. I'm sorry about that."

Beck bent down and kissed his mother's cheek. "I love you, mom," he said tenderly. She smiled. "I love you too, Beck," she replied.

"Now, hurry up and finish the dishes!"

•••

The woman paced uncertainly in front of her son. "You're sure he said that?" she asked for the third time. Will nodded. "Yes. It's like I told you the first time. He's been abusing her, and he told her he wants her daughter to be with him so that he can abuse her too. She's scared for her life, mom."

Will's mother sat down heavily. "It really is true," she whispered. "My own brother..."

He walked over to his mother and put his arm around her. "I know this is hard for you, mom, but Cat's your niece. Think about her." His mother sighed and lowered her head. Will sighed. He stood and began walking towards his phone. He had to get in contact with Cat's friends and figure out some way to help her.

Suddenly he heard his mom stand. He turned around. Her eyes were grim and her hand was on her gun.

"Let's go get him," she growled.

Will grinned.

•••

Mrs. Zarinz walked into the room with two glasses of lemonade. "You boys take a break," she said. Danny and his father nodded, set down their paintbrushes, and picked up a glass. Mrs. Zarinz looked around the room and nodded appreciatively.

"The room looks beautiful, boys," she said. Danny took a look at the peony pink walls. "Yeah, I think she's really gonna like it," he replied. Mr. Zarinz grunted in agreement and took a gulp of lemonade.

Danny finished off his lemonade quickly and picked up his brush. He began painting with gusto, almost angrily. Mrs. Zarinz watched her son with a sad smile.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" she whispered to her husband. "Once Cat gets here, he'll be okay. She'll make him right," he whispered back. They left him to his painting and snuck downstairs. Mrs. Zarinz sat heavily with a sigh.

Her husband sat next to her and put an arm on her. "This is all so hard," she said despondently. "I can't imagine what our baby is going through. He won't talk about it, he won't eat...I just...I don't know what else we can do!"

She let her head drop onto her husband's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "We will get through this," he said soothingly. "We will. Danny's a tough kid." Mrs. Zarinz nodded.

"You know in a week or two, there will be a teenage girl in this house?" she said with a little shudder. "Aw, Cat's a doll," Mr. Zarinz replied with a smile. His wife nodded. "I know, hon, but teenage girls..."

He kissed the top of her head. "We're gonna be okay," he said reassuringly. "We're gonna be okay."

Upstairs, Danny continued to paint the walls pink with big, angry strokes. He thought about Cat's vibrant smile, her cherry red hair, her sparkling eyes and beautiful laugh. He was, without a doubt, head over heels in love with the bubbly girl.

Which was why this whole thing was so much harder for him.

He thought about what was going on with the girl he loved. It made him so angry that he wanted to punch out a wall. The fact that he couldn't do anything made him ready to murder. But he kept himself focused on his one job: painting the walls pink. It was the only thing he could do right now. Such a small thing. But he knew he had to do it, and do it well.

It was about the only thing keeping sane.

•••

A loud, blaring cell phone woke Beck up. He groaned and picked it up. He hoped it was important, whoever it was-he'd picked up two extra shifts at the auto-shop to pay for the baby and didn't finish his homework until two AM. He needed his sleep if he wanted to keep earning money for the babies. "Hello?" he asked groggily.

"Beck, I want some pickles with peanut butter on them. Go get me some."

Beck sighed. "Jade, it's four in the morning," he groaned. "I worked extra shifts today...I'm really tired. Can it wait until tomorrow?" he asked. He heard Jade snarl through the phone.

"Look, these are YOUR bastard children keeping ME up at four am, telling me now they'd really get a kick out of having effing pickles with some goddamn peanut butter on it AT FOUR IN THE EFFING MORNING, and you're tired?!" Jade screeched in his ear.

"All right, all right, I'm going," Beck mumbled, grabbing his keys.

The ride to the grocery store was a true test of willpower. Beck managed to keep his eyes open the whole time, although he drifted around in lanes a lot. It didn't really matter either way-there weren't a whole lot of cars on the road.

He almost fell getting out of the car and contemplated falling asleep on the pavement. He stumbled in with a jacket on over his pajamas. Jars of pickles were in the second aisle, close to him. Easy enough.

The peanut butter was all the way in the far aisle. Beck groaned. Why couldn't things just be easy? He grabbed three jars of pickles and began what seemed to be a four mile long shuffle to the other side of the store. As he passed, he saw a lot of perky people dressed really well giving him odd looks. He also saw a lot of kids his age buying dumb crap like whipped cream and twelve pack hotdogs.

Beck sighed. That would have been something he, Andre and Robbie could have enjoyed. But sadly, having a baby on the way changed everything. Having two was worse. It was all about them, forever until the end of time now.

He found the peanut butter, stuffed three jars in his basket, and turned to go when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned.

It was a very young girl, no more than six. She had olive skin like Beck's, deep brown eyes, and a button nose. He blinked a few times to make sure he didn't imagine her. She stared up at him expectantly.

"Yes?" he asked. She pointed at the top shelf, to a box of baking soda. "My mommy told me to get this. Can you reach it for me?" she asked. Beck nodded and smiled at her. "Of course," he said sweetly. He reached up and plucked a box down. "Here you go."

She smiled brightly at him. "Thanks, mister!" she chirped. "You're welcome!" Beck replied with a smile. "What are you doing here so late at night?"

"We're on a trip!" the little girl said with a smile. "To my grandma's house." Beck smiled at her. "That's nice," he told her.

A little boy who looked just like the girl ran up and tugged her arm. "Mom says come on!" he said, pulling his sister's hand. She turned to leave. "Bye, mister, thank you!" she called over her shoulder. The two kids ran off hand in hand.

Beck stared after them in awe and rubbed his eyes to make sure that they were real. In just a few months, he and Jade would have kids like that.

Oh crap, Jade.

Beck ran up to the register and paid quickly. "Pickles and peanut butter," the cashier said with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, it's not for me, it's for my girlfriend. She's pregnant," Beck explained. The cashier nodded in understanding. "Your total is $10.78, sir." Beck pulled out eleven dollars and handed it to the cashier, sighing at how quickly his paycheck seemed to disappear.

The trip to Jade's house was a blur. He vaguely remembered getting honked at by some guys in a convertible, and could pretty clearly recall the sound of Jade's voice screaming at him for being late with her food.

After that, the night ran together, and Beck woke up in a daze the next morning barely able to remember anything except two young kids running hand in hand.

•••

"Okay, kids, now as we plan this, I just want you all to remember that this is a very delicate situation," Will's mother said as she sank into one of the plush beanies in Beck's RV. "If the situation becomes dangerous, don't try to be a hero. Just get out of there as fast as you can and leave the hard stuff to me."

Beck nodded. "Can't I give him one good kick in the nuts? They don't call me a ball buster for no reason," Jade said, cracking her knuckles.

Will laughed and his mother shot him a look. "No," she said firmly. Jade visibly deflated. Beck kissed her cheek to calm her down.

Will's mother continued. "My goal is to get us in, get the proof, get Cat out of there, and arrest him. Cat, when is your dad usually home?"

"He leaves early in the morning and comes home at night, after the sun goes to sleep," Cat said from Danny's arms. He chuckled at her statement and kissed her on the head. Will's mother nodded. "Okay, that's around seven. So we know that he'll be home after seven. I think that the plan is a pretty straightforward one. We'll meet up at around six or so. Jade and Danny will help Cat pack. Beck and Will can come with me to help look for evidence. All of you can get out of there as soon as you've done your part."

Everyone nodded. "So when does this all go down?" Beck asked. Will's mother thought about it for a minute.

"Let's shoot for next Monday."

•••

Mr. Valentine dug through all the pink in his daughter's room, hoping to find a sonogram or something else about his baby that Cat hadn't shown him yet.

He crawled under the bed and dug around. He reached his arm around when he felt it hit a piece of paper. A sonogram. He grabbed it quickly.

It wasn't a sonogram, it was some kind of pink invitation. He started to read it.

His eyes narrowed, and the wedding invitation became crushed in his fist.

•••

"Bye, Danny! Thank you!" Cat called from her porch. Danny waved as he drove away. Humming a song, Cat unlocked the door and went in.

Her father was waiting for her.

Cat screamed at the sight of him. He'd obviously been heavily drinking. He was disheveled and shaking all over. "Daddy?" Cat asked timidly. He didn't answer, but held up her wedding announcement in one hand. Cat gasped.

"So. Another man. Another life. You were going to leave me," he said in a trembling voice. "Daddy, I-"

"You were going to leave me," he repeated, almost not believing it himself. Cat became very afraid. Suddenly her father's face contorted with rage.

"You BITCH!" he roared, landing a punch square on her jaw. Cat fell to the floor with a cry. As soon as she could gather the strength, she slid into a crawl space under the table. "If I can't have you, no one can, you worthless slut!" he screamed, looking for her.

Cat waited for her opportunity. When her father turned the other way, she slid out from under the table and bolted for the stairs. Her father turned and raced after her.

She made it upstairs, raced into her room and locked it with the new lock Will had sent her. Using all of her strength, she pushed her dresser drawer in front of the door. Her father began pounding on it. Cat grabbed her phone and sent out a mass text.

**To: Becky-poo the blue baboo (:, Luvvy cuzzy willy, Love of life + Melody's papa 3, Jadey-bear 3 (Baloo!) 3**

HELP! DAD ANGRY. COME AT ONCE

Cat threw her phone down and ran into her bathroom, hoping she could fight him off.

•••

It wasn't long before they came. They came in through the tree that led to Cat's window. "Damn it!" Jade cussed as she tripped on the window ledge. "Careful, babe," Beck whispered as he followed her up. "Cat? CAT!"

"Here!" Cat called from a corner. "Oh, my God, Rina," Jade said sadly. She took Cat's hand. "Everyone's outside. Danny's in the tree. I'll hand you to him, then he'll pass you to Will, then to Beck's car. Okay?"

"I thought I was going to die," Cat whimpered. Jade's eyes narrowed and she held Cat tighter. "Not today, Rina."

Suddenly the doorframe rattled and flew open. The dresser drawer flew back several feet. Cat's father stood, panting and growling. "You thought you could keep me out?" he growled.

"Cat, go!" Jade said quickly, pulling her up and shoving her towards Beck. Ignoring her protests, Beck picked her up and lowered her down to Danny. "Hello, my love," he said sweetly, kissing Cat's cheek. "Looks like our romantic plans will have to happen early."

Cat squealed happily and he lowered her down to Will.

In her room, her father was advancing on the couple. "Jade, get behind me," Beck said. "Like hell!" Jade retorted, raising her fists for a fight. Beck sighed.

Cat's father threw the first punch, which Jade dodged easily. She stood and hit him right in the eye. "That's for Melody!" she shouted as he held his eye in pain. He grabbed her arms tightly. She fought back instantly. They struggled and spun around until they were out into the hall. Beck ran after them, trying to land a hit on Cat's dad without accidentally hitting Jade too.

Eventually the tussle reached the stairs. Jade kneed Cat's father in the balls. He doubled over in pain. "And that's for Cat, you son of a bitch," Jade growled. Mr. Valentine's eyes narrowed, and with a malicious grin, he stood and gave Jade a tremendous push.

To Beck, Jade seemed to teeter on the edge forever. He ran as fast as he could, but he couldn't reach her. He couldn't stop her from flying off the ground, and he only had enough time to scream her name as loud as he could. "JADE!"

Jade tumbled down the stairs, finally landing on her back and laying there, unmoving.

Beck turned to Mr. Valentine and gave him the biggest punch he'd ever thrown. The man slumped down, unconscious, and Beck ran down the stairs to Jade.

"Jade! Jade!" he yelled, shaking her. She didn't respond. He pulled out his phone. "Hello? Is this 911? Please, I need help," Beck said, his voice cracking with emotion.

All he could do was stare at the face of the girl he loved and pray it would all be okay.

•••

The little group waiting in the emergency room was silent. "How did this happen?" Tori asked, shaking her head sadly. "It's all my fault. She was trying to protect me," Cat sobbed.

Danny rubbed her shoulder. "Babe, this was not your fault. He would have killed you. We had to get you out of there, you know that," he said soothingly. Robbie held up a hand. "I'm sorry, some of us are playing catch up here-who tried to kill Cat?" he asked. "And what did Jade have to do with it?" Andre asked.

"Cat's father," Will said from where he sat with his hands clasped tightly together. "He was abusive. Physically, mentally. Sexually."

Tori gasped. Andrea's hands balled into fists. "This scumbag walking around hurting our Lil' Red and I wasn't invited to the party?" he asked. Will shrugged.

"Jade hit him for me, and I was happy, but then my daddy pushed her like he does when he drinks and it made her fall," Cat explained.

Tori sighed again. "Let's just hope that she's going to be okay."

The group fell into silence again, waiting and hoping for some good news.

•••

"Well, Ms. West, you're very lucky you came in when you did," her doctor said. "So I'm fine?" Jade asked, crossing her arms. "You? Yes, you're a tough girl. You'll suffer no ill effects."

Jade sighed in relief. Beck squeezed her hand happily. "We're okay," he whispered. She flashed him a tiny smile. "What about Quinn and Jayce?" she asked. The doctor sighed and Jade's heart skipped a beat.

"What? What is it?" she asked, sitting straight up. "Well, Ms. West, we did an intravenous scan of the babies, and while they both survived the fall-a miracle, by the way-there were some complications with your son."

"Complications? What kind of complications?" Beck asked, looking at Jade worriedly. The doctor sighed again. "Ms. West, your son has tested positive for the genetic abnormality that causes Down's Syndrome."

Jade's heart skipped a beat. She sank back onto the pillows in shock. "The fall did this?" she asked in a weak voice. The doctor shook his head. "No, Down's Syndrome is determined genetically. Your son has had this disease ever since his conception. It just took the fall for us to perform the scan that led to the diagnosis."

"Does his sister.." Beck trailed off, burying his head in the blankets surrounding Jade. "No," the doctor said gently. "They're fraternal twins. Only some of their DNA is shared. Your daughter is very lucky."

"Yes, because our luck seems to have been great so far, why not effing celebrate her not having a disease most kids shouldn't even have, right? Why not have a damn party!" Jade snapped. The doctor sighed and excused himself. Jade sank into the pillows.

Beck sat in shock. "Pregnant in high school. With twins. And one is special needs," he said dully. Jade sighed heavily and crossed her arms.

"Well, fuck."

**Cat-21 weeks**

**Jade-26 weeks**

**So there it is! I hope it was worth the atrociously long wait.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So…yeah! Here you go! :D**

Beck paced around the room, a hand resting on his head worriedly. Jade, a hospital band still on her wrist, was sprawled in a chair nearby. They both looked awful-Jade worried, Beck angry.

"What the hell are we going to do?" she finally asked. Beck stopped pacing. "What else can we do?" he replied. "Our son has Down's syndrome. We can't do anything about it."

"No, Beck, there have to be options. There are always options!" Jade snapped. She stood shakily and began to pace in her own way. "Well, there's the adoption option," Beck said, running a hand through his hair frustratedly.

Jade shook her head. "No, can you imagine how guilty we'd feel? We can't separate them. How could we tell Quinn we kept her because she was normal, but we couldn't deal with her twin brother because he was a little different? What a stupid idea!" she spat at Beck.

"What do you want from me, Jade?!" Beck yelled. "A good answer!" Jade yelled back.

"There are no good answers!"

"I KNOW THERE'S NO GOOD ANSWER!"

Jade collapsed onto the couch, her head in her hands. "I know there's no good answer," she mumbled. Beck sighed and knelt down next to her. "Look, let's look at the positives, okay? Quinn is healthy and Jayce is too. Jayce is just a little different. He's-"

"If you say 'special', I swear to God I will leave you," Jade said in a voice that, although teary, was full of menace. Beck nodded and fell silent. He kissed her shoulder and began pacing again.

After a few moments of sitting in silence, Jade abruptly stood up and walked out of Beck's RV. He sighed and sat heavily in a chair. He wasn't sure why the universe felt like punishing the two of them. Jayce would never be the perfect son Beck had envisioned.

Beck began to cry, sitting in his RV, at the same time Jade did, while writing a letter to her Pop-Pop.

It was like they knew their lives as they knew it were changed forever-once again.

•••

The peony pink walls were exactly what Cat had always wanted for her room. She kissed Danny sweetly. "Oh, Danny, it's perfect. Just like a red velvet cupcake with bright pink frosting," she exclaimed.

Danny laughed. "Do you want to see Melody's room?" he asked. Cat perked up even more and nodded so hard that her whole body shook. Danny led her into his room, which had been repainted to become another pale pink paradise. It had a mobile and a picture of Cat and Danny on the wall.

Cat squealed. "Melody will love pink! Just like me," she predicted with a grin. Danny nodded. "And she'll be a good basketball player. I'll teach her to bring the heat," he joked. Cat nodded. "And I'll bet she's the homecoming queen!"

"She'll look beautiful in blue, don't you think?

"Yes, of course! And Melody will probably get all the boys' attention!"

"But no dating until she's thirty."

"We have to let her have fun!"

"Well, as long as I'm always the number one man in her life."

"You are in mine," Cat said sincerely, reaching up to touch his cheek. "Like mother, like daughter?" Danny asked with a smile. Cat nodded and stood on her toes to kiss him.

He kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her waist. She sighed contentedly and rested a head on his chest. "Thank you," she mumbled. Danny looked down at her and smiled softly. "For what?" he asked.

"For saving me," Cat replied. Danny smiled sadly and rested his chin on the top of her head. "I'll always save you," he said softly.

They stayed that way, gently swaying, for several minutes. All of a sudden, a face popped in. "Hey, Danny, hands off the little cuz," Will said with a grin. Cat looked over and beamed. "Will!" she chirped. She ran over and gave him a big hug. He hugged her back carefully and enthusiastically.

Danny walked over and clapped Will on the back. "You guys heading out?" he asked. Will nodded, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets casually. "My mom's still pretty upset about having to arrest her brother, so she's very eager to head out and I've asked enough of her already. But I'm gonna come back and see you when it's close to your due date." He hugged Cat again.

She held on for a few moments. "Come back soon," she said sadly. "I can't wait for my baby to meet you." Will held her tightly. "I can't wait to meet the newest bambino," he said with a smile. Cat laughed. "It's not a bambino! It's a bambina," she informed him. His eyes lit up. She smiled at him. "Isn't it exciting?!" she squealed. He nodded and put his hand on Cat's stomach.

A car horn blared outside. Will jumped. "That'll be mom-I really gotta go," he said apologetically. "Love you."

"I love you! More than red velvet cupcakes," Cat replied, kissing his cheek. Will smiled and wrapped her and Danny in a bear hug. "See you later, you two lovebirds," he said with a smile.

Then he slipped through the door and was gone. Cat held Danny tightly. "I can't believe how much has happened," she whispered. Danny kissed her forehead. "Well, now we know how much we mean to each other. And no matter what, you will always have me."

•••

_Dear Pop-Pop,_

_I'm sure you have heard by now, no doubt from mom, that my son has been diagnosed with Down's Syndrome. It's caused by an extra chromosome...we have no idea how it happened. _

_I'm still in shock._

_Beck says that it'll all be fine. After all, we still have a healthy and happy daughter. We can make it through like we've always done before. Mom says so, the doctors say so. It'll all be fine, there's no need to worry._

_But I know the truth, and it makes me so worried and sad I want to puke. I see the kids with Down's Syndrome in school, Pop-Pop. They hide them away, they can't eat lunch or take classes with us. The adults treat them like four year olds and give them naps and candies-it's like a preschool. For goddamn high schoolers. _

_The worst part is that as much as I want to blame those teachers, I can't. They're not doing these things to be mean-they're doing them because they're necessary. My son will need this much attention, this much isolation. It scares the life out of me._

_His sister will be normal. She'll be a cheerleader or some crap, and she'll go to prom and college and marry and have kids of her own...which is everything I want for her. But I wanted that life for both of my children, not just one. _

_Now for the rest of my life, I'll have to watch her and resent her, secretly, wondering why she can do all this and my son can't. I don't want to hate her, Pop-Pop, especially for something she has no control over. But I know myself, and I know that I will always resent her in the back of my head. _

_There's so much he'll never get to do now. He'll never have children of his own. He'll never hit a home run in baseball. He'll never go to college. He'll never get down on one knee like a wuss and propose to that special girl...the list just goes on and on, but I can't write any more because I'm crying and I want to blame it on pregnancy hormones, but I know it's not and it feels like someone poured acid on my heart. _

_I just don't know how to handle this._

_Mom is calling me for dinner and I'd better go, because the baby hormones make me have to eat like Godzilla. I'll be sure to write you back as soon as I can._

_Love always._

_Jade _

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

Sikowitz's class was buzzing with conversation. In the front of the class, Cat and Jade were modeling their maternity clothes and baby bellies for their friends.

"Wow, I swear you guys are glowing," Tori said. She put both hands on Cat's stomach. "You two look precious." Cat giggled. "Thanks, Tori!" she chirped. Andre walked up and cautiously held out a hand to Jade. She rolled her eyes, grabbed his hand, and pulled it to her stomach without a second thought.

His face lit up. "Wow," he said softly. "The miracle of life."

"Pretty skanky if you ask me," Rex commented snidely. Robbie immediately clapped a hand over Rex's mouth and many people turned to him in shock. "Jesus, Robbie, control that thing," Beck said with a low growl. Robbie blushed bright red and nodded.

Sikowitz rolled into the classroom with a clatter. "Hello, class! Hello, future class!" he said, giving a smile to Jade and Cat's bellies. Cat laughed in response. Jade rolled her eyes and slumped down further in her seat.

The odd teacher began scribbling down notes on method acting. "Now, duckies, method acting is delving yourself completely into the character you are playing. Some of you experienced this at my sleepover sophomore year. Does everyone sort of see the point?" he asked, spinning around to face the class.

Murmurs of confusion sounded from the class. Sikowitz frowned and put a hand on his bald head. "Hmmm. Well, let's put it this way. Say Jade is playing a pregnant woman in a movie. If she was a method actor, she would actually try to become pregnant-or something close to it. Rather like what she's doing right now!" The class nodded and began taking notes.

Jade glowered and felt hot tears coming up. Cat saw them immediately and tried to soothe her. "Jadey, he didn't mean it-"

The goth girl ignored her and stalked quickly out of the classroom. Cat followed immediately after. The class exchanged looks and Sikowitz rubbed his head in confusion. "Well, I guess class is over now. Skedaddle, children! I must do certain things of great importance." He climbed out the window.

Just an average day in Sikowitz's class.

•••

Cat found Jade leaning up against a set of lockers, breathing heavily. She softly smiled and walked over. "Are you okay, Jadey?" she asked. Jade nodded once. "Just peachy," she snapped.

The smaller girl put a hand on Jade's shoulder. "Jadey," she said softly. "I know that's not true." Jade stared into Cat's soft brown eyes and felt her resolve faltering.

Then she burst into tears.

"It's just so hard, Cat!" she sobbed, collapsing into Cat. The little girl staggered backwards but managed to stay upright. "I hate it all! I hate the stares, I hate the whispering, I hate the name calling and the fucking maternity clothes! I just want it all to be over! God, I just want it all to stop!"

She sobbed into Cat's shoulder for another three minutes before she regained composure. She wiped her eyes. "Sorry about that, Cat," she said with a little shake of her head. "I don't know what came over me. Probably hormones."

Cat smiled. "Yeah, sure, Jadey, hormones," she said. Jade nudged Cat good-naturedly. Cat nudged Jade back, and soon the two began a nudging war. They laughed together as they headed off to their next class.

•••

"Ready to go, babe?" Beck asked with a smile. Jade nodded, slamming her locker closed. Cat looped her arm through Jade's. "Yay! Ice cream with candies on top and lots of whipped cream! And sprinkles!" she squealed.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, let's just go already," she grumbled. Beck laughed and they started down the crowded school halls.

People parted like the Red Sea as they walked. All eyes were on Cat and Jade's protruding bellies. It was worse that Cat had chosen today to make them matching shirts that said "Babies on board!" with a pink baby for Cat and two babies (pink and blue) for Jade.

Redheaded curls kept bouncing every which way as Cat tried to smile at everyone in the hall. Beck smiled at her antics, and swore he felt his heart breaking when no one returned her smile. It didn't seem to faze Cat, though-the sunny girl kept smiling and waving.

They made it to the car with relatively few incidents, thankfully. Cat struggled into the backseat while Jade was lifted into the front seat. "I could've done it myself," she grumbled, crossing her arms. Beck laughed as he slid into the driver's seat. "Whatever you say, Jade," he chuckled. "So, who's ready for ice cream?"

Cat cheered and Jade groaned.

•••

"Can I have that one?" Cat asked, pointing at a big banana split in the glass counter. "Cat, that's plastic," Beck said gently. "Oh! Well, can I get a banana split anyways?" She chirped. Beck laughed. "Sure, Cat, whatever you want."

She clapped her hands and ordered a banana split immediately.

"This is so good!" she said as she sat down with Beck and Jade outside. Jade rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," she said. Beck hit her good-naturedly.

They continued chatting when Cat suddenly turned deathly pale. She stared at something with huge eyes and began to shake. Beck looked alarmed. "Cat, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked. Jade began to look around sharply for any signs of anyone dangerous.

Cat shook her head slightly and stared at her ice cream. "Nothing," she mumbled. "I just...I thought I saw someone." Beck rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sure it was nothing, kitty," he said softly. "You're okay."

"Because you have us," Jade put in with a little smile. Cat smiled and nodded.

Her father growled slightly and crept away, his handcuffs jingling slightly as he walked.

**Jade-28 weeks**

**Cat-23 weeks**

**Hope you guys like it! Review review review please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Cat-23 weeks**

**Jade-28 weeks**

**Long story short, I got my computer taken away and had no way to update. Soo…kind of sucks, but my grades are higher now and I know you all want me to excel in school, right? **** This chapter is a good one (should be right? I've had nothing else to do but write it) so enjoy!**

Cat tossed and turned in her new bed. She loved the room, it was absolutely beautiful, but she still wasn't used to the new bed. Her bed back home may have been lumpy and worn, but it was her bed. She'd faced a lot of things on that bed and had come through them all. Cat smiled to herself. That last sentence had made her seem brave.

Maybe...maybe she was brave. After all, she did live with her dad for four years after her mommy took Frankie. What if she was just like Merida from the bear movie? She could be brave too.

Then she remembered all the times she cried, and she frowned. Brave people didn't cry. Poop.

She sighed and put a hand on the comforter, resting on her stomach. Well, maybe she could ask someone. Who knows? Maybe Jadey though she was brave. She could at least ask her.

At least she knew that she wasn't going to let her little baby be a coward like her. Melody was going to be strong-stronger than she had ever been.

She would make sure of it.

•••

"Okay, class, today through Friday we'll be covering volcanoes, and as exciting as that may sound, we have to go back approximately sixty million years."

Danny groaned to himself as the teacher droned on. It was times like these that he wished he was in Hollywood Arts with Cat. Sherwood Prep had to have the most boring teachers in the universe.

Across from him, his best friend John was doodling avidly in his journal. He clearly wasn't paying any attention to the teacher. Danny chuckled. Maybe John had the right idea. He opened his notebook to a blank page and began to doodle random hearts and stars. Out of all of them, a Cat-shaped image began to appear.

Smiling, Danny began working on a star filled Cat in earnest. He knew she would love something like that, being as artistic as she was. Melody would certainly have a lot of fun with Cat.

"Hey, Danny!" a voice came from behind him. Danny rolled his eyes and turned to face the school asshole, Carson Rivers. "What is it, Rivers?" he asked in an annoyed voice. The bully in question gave him a mock-sweet smile. "Look, dude, I just wanted to say that I know having a kid is tough, and I get it. If you ever need a helping hand...maybe to take that little redheaded bitch and show her a night she'll never forget...I'm your man."

Danny almost snapped his pencil in half from sheer rage.

He forced himself to turn around, shaking ever so slightly, and continue his doodling. Carson continued plowing on-he was clearly enjoying the effect he was having on Danny. "That's the best thing about pregnant chicks. You know they like the d!" he cackled. All the boys around him stifled laughs. Carson smiled and kept going, egged on by his friends.

"Redheads are supposed to be slamming in bed. That true, Zarinz?" he asked with an evil grin. He then began to crudely imitate sex positions, moaning like a girl. "Oh! Oh, give it to me right there, daddy Zarinz! Oh, yeah! I wanna have your babies!"

The pencil snapped in two and Danny saw red.

•••

Beck felt someone hit his boot. "Hey, Oliver." He slid out from under the car he was working on. "Yeah, boss?" he asked, wiping his forehead. His boss smiled at him and offered him a hand. Beck gratefully took it and stood up. "You did good work today, Oliver. Now it's eight thirty-better get cleaned up and ready for school."

"Thank you, sir," Beck said. He walked out of the auto shop, wiping away some of the grease and dirt. What a morning. He'd managed to pull a 6-8:30 am shift to go along with the two incredibly late shifts he'd had last night. Of course, his whole body ached, but the money was really helping and he'd even been able to tuck a couple hundred dollars into a college fund for the twins.

His buddies at the auto shop greeted him with smiles and grunts as he walked through it into the little changing room they had available. Beck began changing, grateful that there weren't too many guys in here at this hour. He rarely felt in the mood to socialize.

"So, how's Jade?" one guy asked as he buttoned up his work shirt. "She's doing great! Getting bigger and crankier everyday," Beck replied with a smile. "Aww. That's how you know the kids are all right," his coworker said with a friendly pat on the back as he passed Beck. "You take care."

"Hey, you too! Watch out for that knee!" Beck called after him. He heard the man's chuckle as he disappeared into the shop. Beck chuckled himself. He really loved working here. He should just do it all the time. If only he wasn't so invested in education...

School! Beck jumped. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts, he was already late.

He didn't even bother to button his shirt up as he raced to his car.

•••

Her pencil hit the ground for the millionth time this period, but she didn't bother to pick it up this time. What was the point? She could barely pay attention, and it's not like any of this would matter in a couple of months when she dropped out of school.

A friendly guy sitting next to her picked it up and placed it on her desk. "There you go," he said with a sweet smile. "Wouldn't want you getting behind."

Jade's eyes narrowed into slits. She opened her mouth to begin giving him hell, but then she remembered that her doctor had told her to stop picking fights. Apparently it was stressing out the babies, and even though she knew she had flaws, she really did love her kids. So if she had to stop putting idiots in their place...she would stop putting idiots in their place.

All for them.

•••

Jadie-Darling,

So your kid has Down's Syndrome, eh? That's a real shame. Your great aunt Mildred had Down's Syndrome herself. It's no picnic, I know. The good news for you is, your daughter is gonna be fine. I get that it's not much, but you've gotta be thankful for small miracles in your situation, Jadie-darling.

I promise you that the worst is over. You know the news now, and you can start to prepare yourself and learn how to handle it. Things could definitely be worse then they are now.

As much as I wish I could find a way to help you with everything, these letters are the best I can do right now. I'm reaching across the states to hug you, dear.

I promise that everything will be okay, even if it doesn't seem that way right now. Remember that I love you.

All my love,

Pop-Pop

•••

Dr. Mendler sat in his office, reviewing his patient files. He was planning to take a day off next week and wanted to make sure he didn't have to move any patient appointments around. Luckily, the only two regular patients he had were Cat Valentine and Jade West. He reviewed the files he had on them briefly.

Cat seemed to be progressing in her pregnancy fine, although he did see some sign of stress. He'd have to keep an eye on her-didn't want her to be delivering early.

Jade...she'd been admitted to the hospital recently for a fall down the stairs. He remembered that occurrence-the child had tested positive for Down's Syndrome. It was all very odd, since Jade West had no family history of Down's. And a fall that severe causing no damage to the cerebral cortex? It was unheard of.

Very, very odd indeed. Dr. Mendler squinted. Perhaps a little too odd. He grabbed his phone and dialed the number at the top of the hospital papers.

A cool voice answered. "Hello?" Dr. Mendler looked back down at his file. "Yeah, my patient Jade West was admitted to your hospital a while ago, and as I'm reviewing your file I think you may have misdiagnosed her. Can you re check your records, please?" he asked. The man on the phone chuckled. "Dr., we don't make mistakes."

"Can you just...check?" Dr. Mendler said with a sigh. There was a long silence. "Sure," the voice finally said. "We'll check Jade West's file one more time."

•••

Mrs. Zarinz yelled at Danny the whole way home, not stopping until they reached the driveway. She stopped and turned to face her son. "Honestly, Danny Zarinz, what were you thinking?" she finished with a large sigh.

He sighed, his hands in his lap limply, and shrugged. "I don't know! They were making fun of Cat! I just couldn't listen to them do that..." he trailed off and lowered his head in shame.

Mrs. Zarinz sighed. "Danny, sweetie, this is how it's going to be for the rest of your lives together," she said, putting a hand on his cheek. "People will always be judging you-and Cat-and Melody. The choice you made has consequences, and you need to learn to pick your battles. This was not your battle. Okay?"

Danny nodded. "Yes, ma'm," he said in defeat. His mother smiled and kissed his forehead. "I am glad you're protecting Cat, though," she said with a little smile. Danny shrugged. "It's not a choice for me. She's my everything."

As they got out of the car, they saw Beck's car pull up with Jade and Cat inside. Beck hopped out and walked over to the back to open Cat's door. "Okay, Cat, out you go," he said, picking Cat up and setting her on the ground. Cat squealed. "Thanks, Beck!" she chirped, kissing him on the cheek. Beck smiled. "Anytime, Cat. See you tomorrow!"

"See you at school! Bye, Jadey!" Cat said, waving. "Whatever!" Jade yelled back as they pulled away. Cat smiled that smile she used whenever she really didn't understand things-which was often-and walked across the lawn to where Danny and Mrs. Zarinz were.

She beamed and hugged Mrs. Zarinz tightly. "Hello, Mrs. Zarinz!" she chirped. Mrs. Zarinz smiled and returned the hug. Danny pulled her in and kissed her sweetly. "Hey, sweetie," he said, putting a hand on her stomach. "Hi hi!" she said, kissing him again.

The trio walked inside, the two teens catching up about their day. "Anyone want leftover gnocchi for a snack?" Mrs. Zarinz asked. Danny and Cat laughed. "Peanut butter and jellies are fine, mom," Danny said with a smile. She sighed. "Excuse me for trying to enrich you and Cat's Italian roots!" she said, going into the kitchen.

Cat smiled at Mrs. Zarinz's comment. "So how was your day?" Danny asked, sitting down on the living room couch. "Super duper fun! Sikowitz gave us group scene assignments and I get to work with Beck and Tori! Jade has to work with Andre and Robbie and she's mad, but I think-"

She suddenly stopped. Her blood ran cold, and she turned pale. Danny rushed to her side. "What is it, babe?" he asked concernedly. Cat continued to stare out of the window, shaking slightly. "No, no, no, no no..." she mumbled. She backed away from the window.

Danny was really getting concerned. He took her in his arms. "Baby, what is it? Come on, you can tell me," he urged. Cat shook herself violently and put on a bright smile. "I'm okie dokie lokie!" she chirped, her smile widening.

"Cat," Danny said softly. "You can tell me what's wrong." She bit her bottom lip and looked like she was about to say something when Mrs. Zarinz came in with two sandwiches and some juice. "Here you go, kids!" she said with a big smile. "Oh, Cat, honey, can we go over this seating chart for the wedding? It's in three weeks and I want to make sure everything's perfect."

Cat nodded quickly, detangled herself from Danny, and walked over to sit next to Mrs. Zarinz. Danny stood, stunned. He looked at Cat, then took a glance out the window. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary there.

What could have frightened her so badly?

TWO WEEKS LATER

"Happy seven months!" Cat squealed. Jade rolled her eyes. "Technically, I'm seven months and two weeks. You missed it," she dead panned. Cat instantly deflated and her eyes filled with tears. Sighing, Jade gave her a small pat on the back. "Hey, it's okay, Cat," she said. "Happy six months. Thanks for this, it's really sweet."

"Yay! Open it open it open it!" Cat squealed loudly, handing Jade a bag. The recipient smirked humorlessly and looked inside. "How refreshing. A...what is it exactly?" Cat beamed at Jade's confused and annoyed face. "It's a baby cozy!" she chirped.

Jade stifled a groan. Yeah, she needed this. It looked like a blanket's crap. But she could tell it was a homemade gift, and Cat looked up at her with such big eyes. "Thanks, Cat," she forced herself to grumble. The redhead cheered and clapped her hands loudly. "Yay! I knew you'd love it! This one time when I was at the park, my brother-"

Her mouth was quickly covered by Jade's hand. "No!" Jade snapped. Cat nodded. Suddenly Jade's phone rang, startling both girls. Rolling her eyes, Jade answered. "This is Jade West. Who the hell are you?" she snapped into the phone.

"Jade, this is Dr. Mendler. I have some...interesting news to discuss with you. Can you come down to the office right away, please?" Jade pulled the phone away and stared at it in shock for a moment. "I-uh...okay, sure. Is everything okay?" she asked, starting to get very worried for her children.

As Dr. Mendler responded with reassuring words, Jade put her free hand on her stomach. She felt the tiny kicks against her hand-so fragile, and so sweet and innocent. She'd never felt this way about anyone or anything before. Her face crumpled for a brief moment. "I'm on my way," she said quietly.

Cat looked at her worriedly. "Jadey...is everything okay?" she asked in a whisper. "Yes, Cat, it's fine. What class does Beck have right now?" Jade asked distractedly. She began walking quickly, making the redhead run to catch up. "Jadey!" she called. "I know you're not okay. What's wrong, really?"

Jade sighed. "I'll tell you later. Right now I have to find Beck," she said, speed walking in the other direction as fast as her belly would let her go. The little redhead was left standing confused in the hallway, holding the gift Jade had given her-unopened-tightly to her stomach.

She barged into Beck's theatre history class with such noise that everyone turned at once. "Jade, what is it?" the teacher asked in concern. "I need Beck," Jade replied, trying to hold back her tears. Beck gave her a confused look. "What is it?" he asked. Jade looked absolutely petrified as she told him what was wrong.

"I got a call from the doctor."

•••

"I'm sorry to call you two out of school. I know your studies are important," Dr. Mendler said, sitting at his desk. Beck helped Jade get settled back in one of the chairs and sat down himself. "Can you just skip to the part where you tell us why you called us here?" he asked.

Dr. Mendler smiled softly and nodded. "Of course. I won't mince words, other than to say I'm deeply sorry for this. The hospital contacted me today, and the night you had that fall they were short staffed...it turns out there was a mix-up with your testing results.

You see, there was another woman expecting a baby with the last name of West, and that night, they gave her your test results and you recieved hers."

The two teens were in shock. For several moments, neither of them could speak or move. "What are you saying?" Jade finally asked, her eyes narrowed into slits. Dr. Mendler grinned at them.

"Your son doesn't have Down's Syndrome."

Beck jumped out of his chair with a loud yell of joy. "Hell yes!" he shouted, raising his arms over his head. He took Jade's hands and pulled her up too, kissing her sweetly. "Babe, he's okay!" he said ecstatically.

Jade's look could have felled an army. She crossed her arms over her large belly angrily. "Just who the hell was responsible for this?" she snapped at Dr. Mendler.

The doctor cowered under Jade's withering stare. "Well, the ones at the hospital who manage test results, so probably the nurses," he explained. "Can we sue them?" Jade inquired, putting a hand on Dr. Mendler's desk. He shrugged and gently pulled a paper out from under Jade's palm. "I'm not sure. You'd have to talk to a lawyer."

"We will be," Jade growled, her lip curling in anger. Beck put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Babe, let's focus on the positives," he said with a huge grin. "Our little boy is totally normal again!" The tension finally left Jade's face, which Beck knew was her definition of a smile, and she shrugged. "That is a good thing," she admitted.

Dr. Mendler coughed to get their attention. "Well, you're not out of the woods yet. Now there's the matter of your test results." Both teens stopped and turned. He sighed. "According to this fetal scan, the fall caused your son to hit the uteran wall. The impact caused problems with the development of his cerebral cortex."

"Which means?" Jade prompted, crossing her arms again. "Unfortunately, your son is most likely going to be born blind, or deaf, or even both," Dr. Mendler said with another sigh.

The silence that followed in the room went on for an uncomfortably long time. Suddenly Jade's voice burst out of the silence like a gunshot. "What the fuck is you people's problem?!" she screamed. "Is this your way of trying to punish me for getting knocked up?!"

Beck put a hand on her shoulder, trying in vain to calm her. "Jade-"

"I mean, what, it's not bad enough that I got pregnant with twins when I was sixteen?! Why the hell are you guys doing this to me?! God, I'm so angry I could-"

She stopped herself and put a hand on her chest, taking deep breaths. Beck counted slowly backwards from ten, in a calming voice, to help her lower her adrenaline levels. Jade finally dropped her angry expression and became more composed. "I want to meet her," she announced. "The other mom."

"If you really want to..." Dr. Mendler said, writing down something on a piece of paper. Beck sighed and sat down heavily. He put his head in his hands and shut his eyes tightly. Jade, noticing his upset state, put a hand on his back comfortingly.

Her other hand clutched the name of the only woman who would be able to understand her pain.

•••

A week later, the Greenbriar Chapel was packed with people and decorated in so much pink, it hurt the guests' eyes. Greenbriar had never been so beautiful, and it had never had a more radiant couple-even if they were the most unusual the chapel had ever seen since the 1960's.

Cat peeked out of her dressing room excitedly. Her cherry red curls, half pinned up intricately and half hanging loose, flew wildly in the air as she looked back and forth.

"Cat, honey, come back inside and let me finish your hair," Mrs. Zarinz said warmly, beckoning to her with one hand. The teen sighed and bounced back inside. "Kay-kay!" she chirped. She plopped down in the seat with a little sigh and began moving her legs restlessly. Mrs. Zarinz did her best to work around the fidgety teen, pinning her hair up expertly as Cat bounced about.

Jade grumbled as Tori slid her into her pink maid of honor dress. "Stop complaining! You look great," Tori said with a smile. "I look awful," Jade snarled, adjusting the fabric around her bulging stomach. "Dressing up a pregnant cow in the grossest shade of pink ever created-thanks, Cat." Tori hit her gently. "This is Cat's day," she chided softly. "Stop being a grouch and put on a happy face for her."

"Easy for you to say, Vega," Jade grumbled as Tori tied the darker pink sash above Jade's stomach. "Your dress actually fits you." Tori sighed and spared a glance down at her bridesmaid's dress. "Hardly. Besides, your stomach looks great!" she exclaimed. Jade rolled her eyes and waddled over to a chair. "Just help me sit down," she snapped. Rushing over, Tori took her hand and helped her lean backward and sit heavily in a chair.

Jade's mother sat in a corner, admiring Cat's dress. "It really is lovely, dear," she said with a smile. "Thanks!" Cat chirped. Her feet were still moving around like she had to use the bathroom. "Now, you have your something new. What is your something old, something borrowed, and something blue?" she asked, turning to the bride. The teen's face faltered in confusion. "My whatie?" she asked in a whisper. Her eyes began to fill with tears, and her lip quivered.

Seeing the warning signs, Mrs. Zarinz quickly grabbed a little box from her purse. "Don't cry, hon, we've got everything," she said with a smile. "We've got it all right here." She opened the box and showed Cat the blue earrings laying there. "See? This is something old and something blue."

The little redhead sniffed but visibly calmed down. "And that garter is my mom's, so it's borrowed," Tori piped up from her spot by Jade. "So you've got everything," Mrs. Zarinz said soothingly. Cat nodded and wiped away her tears, careful not to smudge her makeup. "Kay kay," she said with a smile. All the others in the room breathed sighs of relief and considered a crisis averted. Mrs. Zarinz pinned the last hairpin in place, stepped back from her masterpiece, and wiped a tear from her eyes.

"Oh hon, you're beautiful," she said in a teary voice. Everyone gathered around and exclaimed in awe. "You're gorgeous!" Tori squealed. Jade's mother nodded in agreement. Jade struggled to her feet and waddled over to see. "Not half-bad, kitty," she said appreciatively. Cat giggled and hugged her, putting a hand on her stomach and saying a private hello to her little Melody. "Yay yay yay! Can we out my dress on now?" Mrs. Zarinz had opened her mouth to respond when a voice from the door made everyone turn and drop their mouths in shock.

"Need any help with that dress?"

For a moment, there was utter silence. Then Cat, shocked beyond belief, uttered a single word.

"Mommy?"

***soap opera chord* Drama! Well, read and review! Ya'll make my world go round and I'm happy to be back **


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